TUAOA Love's Wings
by Chewie Cookies
Summary: Naruto's always wondered what it would be like to be loved. Hinata's always loved him. Now, a bond, angelic in nature, will bring them together, and open a door to new opportunities for both of them. NaruHina SasuSaku KonoHana NejiTen along with others.. Enjoy it, plz
1. Spread your Wings, Little Angel

Love's Wings

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own any of its characters. If you see anything familiar in here that looks like it comes from something else, I don't own that, either. All I own are the monkeys that scream out story ideas in my head whenever I try to sleep. If you want them, you can have them. I haven't slept a wink in months...

Chapter One

_Spread your Wings, Little Angel_

On the day of the Chuunin Exam Finals, at Training Ground 7...

Hinata sighed as she continued waiting for Kiba to come pick her up. So many things have happened with her clan since her loss to Neji. The elders were hoping to brand her with the Caged Bird Seal, but her father made a very effective argument to that. Killing one's opponent in politics is oftentimes frowned upon, but Hiashi had obviously had enough of being pushed around by the elders, and had decided to show them that HE is the head of the house, and he isn't going to take shit from them.

Naturally, the elders had been furious at first, but when Hiashi reminded them how they could all be easily replaced by their eldest children, they shut up. Hinata had no doubt that they would make trouble because of this new development, but at least she didn't have to worry about being sealed for the time being. When she had asked her father why he'd gone so far, Hiashi had replied, "I love both of my precious daughters, and I'll be damned to the deepest pits of hell if I let what happened between your uncle and me happen between you two."

Hinata smiled fondly at the memory. Her father loved her, of course, he just had trouble showing it, what with all the stress running a clan like theirs puts on him.

"Oneechan!" a familiar voice called out from behind Hinata. She turned to see her little sister, Hanabi, rushing over to her, panting slightly.

"What's wrong, Hanabi-chan? Why aren't you with Father?" Hinata asked.

Hanabi grinned. "Daddy managed to convince those old farts to let you sit with us!" she said happily.

Hinata smiled as well, then asked sheepishly, "He didn't have to kill anybody this time, did he?"

Hanabi giggled. "Nope! He just threatened to sit with you away from the VIP seats if you weren't allowed to sit with us. Apparently, they think that would make the clan look bad," she explained.

A slight gasp from behind them alerted them to somebody else's presence. "Hinata?" a familiar voice called out hesitantly.

Instantly recognizing her crush's voice, Hinata found herself instinctively hiding behind one of the nearby training posts. "N-Naruto-kun?" she stammered.

Hanabi recognized the name, and decided to help her sister with her shyness. "Oneechan, stop being so shy! He may have whiskers, but I'm pretty sure he's not going to bite you!" she chided, pulling her older sister out from behind the training post.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wasn't interrupting a family moment or anything, was I?" he asked nervously.

"No, I was just here to tell Oneechan something for our daddy," Hanabi said, then added, "I've heard a lot of good things about you from my sister! She says you really put your all into what you do! You know, that's an important quality in a leader." Hanabi then giggled a little, and said, "If my sister didn't already have a thing for you, I might have considered trying to court you myself after I'd gotten old enough!"

Hinata gasped, then blushed horribly. "Hanabi-chan! Why did you tell him?! Now he's going to think I'm really weird or something!" she shouted, sounding on the verge of tears.

Naruto was startled for a moment, then turned to Hanabi. "Could you leave for a minute? I have to talk to Hinata about her feelings, and... why it's not safe for her to have them," he said somberly.

Hanabi looked shocked for a full minute, having thought her plan to get her sister and Naruto together had been foolproof, then lowered her head. "I'm sorry for ruining it for you, Oneechan," she murmured as she ran off.

Naruto sighed, and as soon as he sensed that Hanabi was gone, he looked sadly at Hinata. "Hinata... I'm flattered, honestly, and very happy to know that somebody as nice as you could have those kinds of feelings for me... but, like I said, it's not safe for you, or anybody for that matter, to feel that way for me," he explained.

Hinata whimpered a bit, and asked, "How can it be dangerous for me to feel this way for you? You're a good person, and to say that nobody should like you in such a way is completely wrong!"

Naruto smiled sadly, and explained, "I'm not normal, Hinata. Not even close. And the thing that makes me 'not normal' is hated by a huge portion of the village." With that, he lifted his jacket and shirt, and channeled a little bit of chakra, showing the Shiki Fuuin on his stomach.

"On the day I was born, something horribly powerful was sealed inside of me, to ensure the safety of the village. A lot of people died because of it, and, naturally, their hatred was redirected towards me, the one who holds it. If they knew you cared about me in such a way, the villagers would cause problems for you, like they do for me," Naruto explained.

Hinata smiled warmly, tears starting to fall. "I know about Kyuubi, Naruto-kun. I know how it was sealed inside of you to keep us all safe. And I know the villagers hate you for it, and would hate me for loving you. But I don't care. Naruto-kun is Naruto-kun, and Kyuubi is Kyuubi. I've always believed in you, Naruto-kun, and that's never going to stop," she cried.

Naruto, completely shocked, could only ask, "How?"

Hinata wiped her tears away a bit. "Did you know, Naruto-kun, that when you train harder than normal, the seal shines like a beacon to the Byakugan?" she asked, then continued, "It was just by accident, but I happened to be practicing with my Byakugan one day, and I caught a glimpse of that light. I focused on it, and, naturally, I saw the seal. It worried me, because there are seals that can be harmful to people... I know that all too well, considering the clan I come from... I asked my father about it, and he took me to see Hokage-sama. He told me about the seal, and how you protect us everyday with it." Hinata slowly moved closer, hoping not to startle Naruto, who, at the moment, looked like he would bolt at any second. As soon as she got within arm's reach of him, she wrapped him up in a hug.

Hinata didn't know where this sudden burst of courage was coming from, but right now, Naruto needed somebody, and she wasn't going to let him suffer.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun, for protecting all of us for so long. But it must be hard to do this alone... Please, let me help you carry this burden," she whispered softly to him, and he finally relaxed, putting his arms around her as well.

"I'm not sure I can do that, Hinata... I don't know much about 'love'... I want to tell you I love you, I really do, but I don't want to wind up being wrong and breaking your heart," Naruto replied.

Hinata smiled warmly. "That's okay. I'll give you time to figure it out. Please, though, don't keep me waiting too long," she said softly, then murmured, "I will always have a special place in my heart for you, Naruto-kun."

Suddenly, Naruto felt a pulse of something go through his body. Kyuubi gasped suddenly, then began laughing like a nut.

"_What's going on? What did you just do, fuzz-head?!"_ Naruto asked inwardly.

"**Nothing, fleshbag. I guess your little girlfriend just has that kind of effect on you,"** Kyuubi said, then chuckled silently and thought to himself, _**"If only you knew how lucky you are, midget. You've got a girl with angelic blood who's madly in love with you, and you don't even know it! Hell, I don't think she even knows what she just did, so she's probably unaware of her heritage, too! Now, how to use this to make crazy shit happen... Hehehehe!"**_

Hinata, noticing that Naruto had suddenly spaced out, voiced her concern. "Is everything okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing. Just the furball messing with my head," he reassured her, then asked, "You didn't happen to feel any sort of pulse just now, did you?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I didn't feel anything like that. Are you sure you're okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked, looking worriedly at him.

Naruto smiled. Not a fake smile, but a genuine one. "Trust me, I'm fine. It makes me very happy to hear that you care that much about me. I guess, if you really don't care about being persecuted alongside me, the least I can do is see if I can love you, too," he said, then awkwardly leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Unfortunately, that was when Hinata's courage failed, and she fainted. As soon as Naruto noticed, he began panicking. Fortunately, Kiba was nearby, and after laughing his ass off at the scene, he pulled out some smelling salts he keeps on him (tightly sealed, of course) for when his youngest teammate passes out.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I've got this," Kiba said, plugging his nose and moving the chemical near Hinata's face. Before Hinata woke up completely, Kiba gave Naruto a stern look, and said, "You'd better not break her heart. Your 'inner demon' secret is safe with me, but Kyuubi or not, if you hurt her, I won't be the only one out for your hide."

Naruto nearly panicked again. "Y-you heard?" he stammered.

Kiba sighed. "Yeah, but if there's one thing Hinata is able to do better than anybody else I know, it's telling who has a good heart and who doesn't. If she loves you as much as it normally looks, you've probably got a heart of gold, or maybe diamond. So it's obvious you and the fox are two separate beings," he replied.

Hinata finally came around, and smiled in embarrassment at her crush and teammate. "S-sorry about that, you two," she murmured, then turned to Naruto, and added, "You should probably get going. I know you're very strong, Naruto-kun, and that you can beat him, but please don't do anything permanent to my Niisan. He's hateful of me, yes, but I love my big brother. Good luck, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled warmly at Hinata. "I'll beat his hate for you out of him, and then you two can be happy again, dattebayo!" he said happily, then headed off for the arena.

After Naruto was gone, Kiba looked at Hinata with a bit of disbelief. "I know he's tough, but do you really think he can win?" he asked.

Hinata smiled softly, looking in the direction Naruto had run off in. "I don't know, but I believe in him. Definitely,"she said happily.

And so, the two headed towards the arena, where Hiashi and Hanabi had decided to sit away from the stuffy old men of their clan...

Later, in the arena...

Neji smirked at Naruto. "Fate has already decided. I'm going to win," he stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto smirked back. "If you're so sure, how about we make a bet? If I win, you have to at least give Hinata a chance to be your friend. She really seems to care about you, despite how you treat her. Now tell me what you want from me if you win," he called out to his opponent.

Neji grinned evilly. "Well, since you seem to covet the position of Hokage so much, how about giving up on it if I win?" the Hyuuga prodigy called back.

Naruto walked over and held out his hand. "You have a deal, Neji Hyuuga," he said. Neji held out his hand as well, and the two combatants shook on it.

Genma, the proctor and referee, smirked upon hearing this. _"Neji has no idea what an idiot he is for betting with Naruto. Hokage-sama would always bring the little squirt to the village's shinobi-only poker tournament as good luck. Anytime he'd have that baby blond with him, he'd win the whole thing, and the few times he didn't bring Naruto, he lost horribly. I swear, if the kid has anything demonic about him other than his jinchuuriki status, it's his devilish luck!"_ he thought to himself humorously.

As soon as Naruto and Neji separated, Genma announced the match with a simple, "Begin!"

Meanwhile, with Hinata, Hiashi, and Hanabi, in the stands...

"How did things go, Oneechan?" Hanabi asked, hoping the answer was a positive one.

"I'm curious as well, Hinata," Hiashi added, having heard earlier from Hanabi what happened before she left the two.

"N-Naruto-kun was worried that I'd be persecuted by the village if I were to date him because of...that... I managed to convince him that it wouldn't bother me, since I'd be with him, and that I could help share his burden. He feels that if I'm that determined, that he should at least give me a chance," Hinata explained softly.

"What do you mean by 'that', Oneechan?" Hanabi asked curiously.

"Something that shouldn't matter at all, but does, in the eyes of the general populace, concerning events surrounding Naruto's birth. All you need to know is that their hatred towards him is as baseless and stupid as our clan's idea to enslave the Branch Family. Don't ask people about it, Hanabi, because unless Naruto were to tell you, you wouldn't hear anything about it that makes more sense than what I just said. If anybody tells you, truthfully, why Naruto is hated, they are breaking a law that results in capital punishment, and you should report them to Hokage-sama immediately, and seek me afterwards. Only Naruto and the Hokage himself are allowed to speak of such things," Hiashi explained with a stern look.

Hanabi looked over at her father nervously. She wasn't used to him using such a strong tone with her, so she realized the matter must be something important. "Okay, Father. I'll make sure to remember that," she replied softly.

Hinata smiled gently at her baby sister. "Don't worry, Hanabi-chan. Father isn't angry with you. He's just upset at the trouble this issue has caused," she explained, then looked down into the arena to watch the match, silently wishing Naruto luck.

She was shocked, however, when she saw the beating he was taking. At first, he had made around a hundred clones of himself, and managed to trick Neji into thinking one of the fakes was the real Naruto, but then, right when Naruto was about to get a solid hit in, Neji sent him flying with a sudden Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, and then sent him down for the count with Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms.

Hinata didn't know how, but she _felt_ the blows Naruto was taking, as if they were happening to her! She checked her internal organs with her Byakugan, and could see that they weren't anymore damaged than they had been when she'd gotten to the arena, so she knew these were phantom pains, but they felt so..._real_...

Then Hinata felt it. She could feel all of Naruto's self-doubt, that he hid from the world, suddenly churning around in her heart. _"I can't do it after all... I really am a failure... It'll be alright if I just give up now... My body is pretty much dead anyway... Nobody will miss me for long, if I just let go and die,"_ she heard in her head, realizing, somehow, that these were his thoughts.

Hinata whimpered, the thoughts she was hearing bringing her to tears. _"You're wrong, Naruto-kun. Just by being around, you've made so many people happier. The prank wars you've had with Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru... All that time you spent warming the hearts of the Ichiraku family... Shino believes you to be an important comrade, and a good friend, and even Sakura thinks you're a nice guy. And I...I..."_

"I love you, Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted suddenly, startling people around her, and, unbeknownst to most, bringing Naruto back to consciousness.

Hinata quickly stood up, and, despite her usually quiet voice, continued shouting in a voice everybody seemed to hear. "You can't die! You have so many people who believe in you! You have to take the mantle of Hokage someday! You have to defend your record at Ichiraku Ramen! You have to have the happily ever after you've always wanted! You have to find out about your parents! Believe in yourself, like you believed in me! If you don't, I'll just have to believe in you enough for both of us! I love you, Uzumaki Naruto! I love you!"

As she shouted this, for the whole village to hear, Naruto began to stand. As he looked up at her, and heard those last words she spoke, something shocking and beautiful happened. A pair of ethereal wings sprouted from Hinata's back, shining down onto the battlefield, and filling Naruto with a great...warmth. Suddenly, he found himself believing in himself again. He had to win! If not for himself, then he'd do it for this girl that loves him!

Before he could think anymore, though, Hinata collapsed, the wings disappearing. Hiashi caught her, and smiled down at the young jinchuuriki, mouthing the words, "She'll be fine."

Neji was startled by the sudden display, but smirked as soon as it was over. "So, a failure loves another failure. How fitting," he sneered.

Naruto growled. "What's it to you?!" he snarled.

Neji smiled cruelly. "Nothing much. It just gives me a good reason to kill you now, so I can take away something Hinata-sama loves, just like she took my father from me," he explained.

Naruto was confused now. "She killed your father? What the hell do you mean by that?! There's gotta be some kind of explanation!" he exclaimed.

Neji smirked. "There is, and it isn't a pretty one," he said, removing his hitae-ate and revealing an intricate seal on his forehead.

He then went into a tirade about the Kumo incident, where Hinata was kidnapped when she was three, and revealed the fact that the Hyuuga enslave their own to the whole crowd, which, unfortunately, earned them many enemies. He then spoke of how his father, Hizashi, was used as a body double for Hiashi when Kumo wanted compensation for the shinobi that had been killed by the Hyuuga head.

Naruto grew sadder and sadder as he heard the tale. _"Families shouldn't be torn apart like this..."_ he thought to himself.

He then heard Hinata's voice in his head, though he didn't know how. _"Neji-niisan has been hurt so badly. I really want him to be happy again. I don't know how I'm hearing this, seeing this through your eyes and ears, Naruto-kun, but I really want Niisan to be happy again, like he was when we were small. Please help my Niisan, Naruto-kun. Beat him, so he'll give me a chance to help him,"_ she said, as Naruto felt both his tears and hers flow down his face and through his heart.

"You're not alone, Neji. A lot of people have been hurt horribly, but you still have a chance to be happy! Hinata-chan still feels love for you! She still loves her Niisan! So, for her happiness and yours, I'm gonna beat you until you're done hating!" Naruto called out, suddenly flaring his chakra and opening the many chakra points that had been closed.

He then took off his jacket, revealing that he hadn't been wearing a shirt underneath. "I can tell you're on your last legs, Neji, so I'll make you a deal," Naruto said, as his right arm suddenly bulked up, appeared to become shiny, and grew large jet-like holes. A pair of fins, also sporting holes that seemed to be for the same purpose as the ones on his arm, sprouted out of his back. "You throw up that spinny-chakra-shield-thing, and if I can bust through it, you'll give up, and we'll avoid changing this into something extremely messy. If you can defend against my attack until it wears off, I'll give up. Sound good?" he asked.

Neji smirked. "Fine. Fate has already decided that I'm going to win this fight. That arm isn't going to pierce the Hyuuga Clan's ultimate defense, no matter how tough it is!" he declared, as he got into his stance and prepared, then thought to himself, _"Whether he gives up or not, I'll make sure he doesn't see the next day!"_

"ROTATION!"

"UZUMAKI SHAPESHIFT! EXPLOSIVE PUNCH!"

A thunderous roar filled the arena as Naruto _blasted_ from where he was standing, and smashed his enhanced right arm into the spinning barrier of chakra. A sound like a claw scratching glass was heard, and kept going, until it was visible that the rotating blue mass was faltering.

Naruto growled as he continued pushing chakra out of the openings on his arm and back. _"Just one more push...!"_

"_I believe in you, Naruto-kun!"_ Hinata's voice echoed through his head.

With that last burst, Neji's technique shattered, and Naruto's arm went from aiming towards Neji's head, to aiming at his leg. Opening his hand, Naruto grabbed ahold of the Hyuuga prodigy's leg, and threw him into a nearby wall, knocking him unconscious, and busting a few ribs as well.

Genma's mouth opened wide in shock for a moment, causing his senbon to drop. "Winner by one hell of a knockout...Uzumaki Naruto..." he murmured, as almost all the shinobi in the stadium, and several of the civilians, began cheering explosively!

Naruto smiled good-naturedly at Neji, as he was carted off of the field, and then leapt up to where Hiashi, Hanabi, and Kiba were, just as Hinata started coming around.

"Um, hey, Hiashi-sama? What exactly is going on with Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

Hiashi smiled. "It seems she's made a life-pact with you, and that awakened her mother's blood in her. You see, Hinata-chan is only half-human. Her other half, coming from her mother's side, is angel. That's why she sprouted those wings earlier. Because of this, the Hyuuga Elders will probably want to try something, but I've already put into action a plan that will keep her safe from them, and happy as well," he explained, as Naruto and Hinata started at him in shock.

"I-I'm...half a-angel?" Hinata stammered weakly.

Hiashi nodded in confirmation. "Unfortunately, since you've just spread your wings for the first time, you're going to be going through a state of weakness for about a month. Don't worry, though. I've arranged for somebody we both trust to take care of you during that time. I'm sure she'll let Naruto-san come by to spend time getting to understand the bond you two now share, and I'll try to convince Neji to be hospitable to you as well, when he visits to keep his end of the bet he and Naruto-san made," the Hyuuga head explained, then turned to Naruto, and bowed, saying, "If you discover you feel love for my Hinata, you have my blessing to take her as yours. Just try to make sure you don't make her faint too much."

Upon hearing this, both Naruto and Hinata fainted, one from information overload, and the other from hearing something she'd wanted to hear her entire life.

Kiba sighed in exasperation at the sight, and Hanabi continued trying to wake the two of them, calling out, "Oneechan! Naruto-niichan! Wake up!"

Meanwhile, a beautiful woman watched from heaven, smiling. "Good luck, my baby Hinata. I'll be coming back to see you and the others soon..."

End Chapter One


	2. Invasion

Love's Wings

Author's Note: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of its characters. I do, however, own a very nice PS3, and some nice games for it, including Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Fun game, that is. Wanna match? PM me for my PSN id, but don't expect me to be much of a challenge. I suck at online play.

2nd Author's Note: Uzumaki Ricky has a challenge up that he wanted me to advertise. If anybody's up for writing a Naruto/Shaman King crossover, check out his profile!

Chapter Two

_Invasion_

With Neji, in the infirmary...

"_I can't believe it... I actually lost to that dead-last...and not the dead-last from my class, but the dead-last from a class that was behind mine...! I guess fate really isn't all it's cracked up to be..."_ Neji Hyuuga thought to himself as he rested in the infirmary. He had thought the fight was going to be easy, but then, he also thought Rotation and the Sixty-four Palms would be enough to take his opponent down.

Sadly, it wasn't enough, and he had been low on chakra after using the two techniques. If he had been thinking straight, he would have seen that using Rotation a second time would pretty much kill his chakra reserves, and leave him open.

"_Oddly enough, my opponent had also used a fairly taxing technique. The Shadow Clone Jutsu divides the chakra evenly amongst the clones, and he made at least fifty of them! I wonder, is Uzumaki a genius of sorts, too?"_ he continued to wonder, until somebody knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Neji called out.

"It's me," Tenten's voice carried through the door, and she asked, "May I come in? I was worried about you."

Neji let a small smile grace his lips. "You may, Tenten," he replied.

As soon as Tenten had entered the room and closed the door, she clocked Neji across the face. "YOU IDIOT!" she shouted. She then wrapped her arms around him, and sobbed, "Why did you take a huge risk like that?"

Neji sighed. "You know why, Tenten. I was completely blinded by what you so graciously call "that fate shit", that I didn't look at the situation from all angles, like I should have," he replied, gently rubbing the back of his secret girlfriend. "You should probably leave soon, though. The Elders will likely be here soon to punish me," he added.

"Not likely," a voice said from the doorway. Neji's head nearly spun out of place when he turned his head to see his uncle, Hiashi, in the room.

Neji growled. "Let me guess. You're going to end my life yourself before they can do so?" he shouted.

Hiashi shook his head. "Your father asked me to look after you before he died. It would be dishonorable of me to spit on his dieing wish in such a way," the Hyuuga patriarch replied, producing a scroll from his robes. "Your father left a message for you. Unfortunately, I felt wary of giving it to you inside of the compound, where the elders could spy on us, and I haven't been able to leave my home often enough that I'd be outside and away from prying eyes while you were off-duty," he explained.

Neji scowled. "It's probably just something the Main Family made to appease me," he said disdainfully.

Hiashi shook his head. "I have never opened it, myself. I'm hoping there is something your father wrote in there that will verify for you that he was indeed the one to write it," he explained.

Neji sighed and unfurled the scroll, with Tenten standing nearby, in case he needed her. As he continued reading the scroll, his eyes widened. "You two were working on a way to release the Caged Bird Seal? And you came up with a replacement seal to put on the entire clan?" he asked.

Hiashi nodded, but then his face turned solemn. "The Elders discovered our plan a few years ago. Sadly, I cannot find any remains of the notes we had on the subject, since those old bastards had them all destroyed. Thankfully, I kept this scroll in a vault in the Hokage's office that Sandaime-sama let me use, or it would have been destroyed as well," he said sadly.

Neji smirked slightly. "Well, if this is really from my father, he left copies of the notes in a storage seal in this scroll. All I need is a bit of my blood, and..."

Neji quickly bit his thumb, drawing a bit of blood, and wiped it on the seal. Almost instantly, many scrolls appeared out of a cloud of smoke, one of which said, "Counter Seal for Caged Bird Seal" and another that said, "Flown the Coop Seal".

Hiashi looked stunned for a moment, then promptly walked over to the nearest wall and began bashing his head against it, muttering, "Why! Didn't! I! Think! To! Look! There?!"

Neji frowned slightly. "Ummm, Hiashi-sama?" he said, but was suddenly interrupted by the man in question.

"Sorry, there is no "Hiashi-sama" here right now. Only an old man who doesn't know shit when it comes to looking for old projects that were thought to be lost forever," Hiashi deadpanned.

Neji's jaw nearly dropped to the floor upon seeing his uncle acting in such a way. "Uncle...?"

Suddenly, Hiashi turned to Neji. "Did you just call me...uncle?" he asked, looking somewhat happy.

Hesitantly, Neji nodded.

"Finally! It sounds so much nicer when one's nephew doesn't treat his uncle so formally!" he said, sounding quite relieved. He then cleared his throat a bit, and said, "Now, why don't we get rid of that damned seal?"

Neji sighed. "I can't just trust you, even if this scroll seems to be in my father's handwriting. It could very well be a forgery," he said, frowning.

Hiashi sighed. "Fine. Remove your headband so I can transfer your seal to me," the elder Hyuuga man requested.

Neji thought for a second, and after a moment, took off his headband. Hiashi quickly ran through some hand seals, and, after placing his hand on Neji's forehead, pulled the seal off.

Hiashi stared at the seal in his hand for a second. "How I wish I could just crush you in my hand where you are now. Then I could have gotten rid of all of you years ago," he muttered, before slapping the seal onto his own forehead.

Neji was shocked. He knew Hiashi was well aware that he could just activate the newly placed seal, causing his uncle untold amounts of pain, but the Hyuuga patriarch apparently trusted him. Or perhaps he was thinking that he'd deserve it anyway, if Neji decided to take advantage of the situation.

Hiashi, seemingly ignoring Neji for a moment, picked up the scrolls with the release and the new seal instructions in them, then sighed upon reading the instructions, and turned to Neji. "I know you probably want to get back to spending time with Tenten-san, but I can't remove the old seal from myself or apply this new seal to myself, apparently. First, release the seal that's on me now, then we'll see about getting this new seal on the both of us," he explained.

After a few minutes, they were done.

Hiashi smiled. "And the best thing about this is that those old fools don't know how to release this new seal, so they won't be able to place the old one back on you if they discover it before I pull my coup d'état on them!" he said, then looked at himself in the window, and added, "And I have to say, it looks a lot better than the old one, too."

Upon Neji and Hiashi's foreheads was the new seal, which was designed to look like a pair of wings, spread in preparation to fly. Hiashi soon left, leaving Neji and Tenten to celebrate this new freedom on their own. Soon, though, they were interrupted by another budding couple.

"N-Naruto-kun, you really don't have to c-carry me," Hinata's voice spoke from the doorway, as the unpredictable Uzumaki entered the room, carrying the shy girl bridal-style.

"I know. I just figured..." he stammered, then became silent when he saw Neji and Tenten staring at them.

Neji's eye twitched for a moment. "What are you doing to my cousin?" he asked, sounding like he was going to snap.

Naruto looked at Neji, confused. "I'm just getting her to a bed so she can rest properly. Apparently, whatever it was that she did during the match put her in a weakened state, and I think she should relax for a bit," he explained.

"A-Ano, he's telling the truth, Neji-niisan. Father said that since I've only just grown my wings, my body is very weak, and it's going to stay that way for a while," Hinata explained as Naruto laid her down on a nearby bed.

"Wings? That's what those were?" Tenten asked, somewhat startled by the fact that her friend had grown _wings_, of all things.

Hinata nodded, and went on to explain what Hiashi had told her and Naruto.

"...and apparently, after gaining my wings, my body has to adjust for a while, so I'll be weaker than normal for some time," Hinata explained, looking saddened by the fact that she wouldn't be able to perform as well as usual as a kunoichi.

Naruto nodded, then proudly exclaimed, "And I'm gonna be helping her out! After all, since this is a pact-thing, it has to go both ways, and I should take responsibility for what happened!" He then smiled warmly, looking down at the ground for a moment, and said softly, "Besides, Hinata-chan loves me. The least I can do is get to know her better, so I can know how I feel for her. It makes me really happy to do this."

Tenten smiled fondly at Naruto, feeling happy for him. "I'm glad my little otouto found somebody nice for him," she said warmly.

Naruto looked up at Tenten, and scrunched his face up in confusion. "Have we met before the exams?" he asked curiously.

Tenten grinned. "Imagine me being shorter, less mature, and without the buns in my hair. That should tell you who I am!" she said enthusiastically.

Naruto stared for a moment, his eyes squinted comically. Suddenly, he let out a small shout, and pointed. "Ten-neechan?!"

Tenten nodded happily. "I knew you wouldn't forget your big sister from the orphanage!" she exclaimed, then walked over to him and gave him a hug, starting to cry a bit. "When the matron kicked you out, I got so worried about you, and I couldn't sleep properly at night for almost a year!" she cried, then pulled away from him and asked, "What happened to you after you left? That old hag was fired and sent to prison by Hokage-sama, but you never came back! I was so worried!"

Naruto smiled, trying to put his surrogate big sister at ease. "Well, Teuchi Ichiraku, who I call Ojiisan for short, found me going through his trash for food, and gave me a place to stay for the night. The next day, he took me to see Hokage-jiji, and the old man decided to give me a place of my own, since the people on the council were being jerks about letting anybody adopt me," Naruto explained.

"Why would the council go so far out of their way as to keep anybody from adopting you, Naruto?" Neji asked, his curiosity piqued.

Naruto panicked for a second, then lied, "Well, I was born on the day of the Kyuubi attack, and since I have these whisker-like birthmarks, people think I was tainted by it, and, well, they just don't want me to be happy. The people on the council probably use that to gain favor with the villagers by saying they don't like me either."

Neji could tell, even without his Byakugan, that Naruto was lying, but a subtle look from Hinata told him not to press the matter.

Tenten sighed. "It just goes to show you, people are stupid sometimes," she said, then clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and changed the subject. "So, you've got a girlfriend now, huh? Hinata will be good for you, Otouto! She can help smooth out those rough edges of yours, and have enough love in her for ya that you'll never be sad again while she's with you!" she exclaimed, then turned to Hinata, and added, "As for you, I know about your confidence problem, and I have to say, if anybody can help coax you out of your shell, it's my idiot otouto! Don't leave him alone for long periods of time, though." Tenten suddenly gained a somber look on her face, and explained, "He doesn't take being left alone very well. If you're away for too long, he might think you've left him, since he's used to people betraying him for one reason or another. Enough of the other kids at the orphanage have done that..."

Hinata nodded in understanding, reaching out for Naruto's hand and gently squeezing it. "I'll treasure my bond with Naruto-kun forever," she said softly, but with determination. Naruto squeezed back, turning to Hinata with happy tears in his eyes, and letting her know with a smile that he was grateful.

Neji then decided to change the subject. "Naruto. That ability you used, 'Uzumaki Shape-shift', I believe you called it. How does it work? Is it a kekkei genkai?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "It is, in a sense. The truth is, I did a lot of digging to find out about who my parents might have been. The Uzumaki, as it turns out, were a clan that was allied with Konoha, back when they were great in numbers. Technically, they're still allied with Konoha, except I doubt anybody would consider me on my own to be a clan. They were known for being able to survive very grievous wounds, normally recovering fully within a few weeks, along with their extremely long lifespans. Mito Uzumaki, the Shodai's wife, actually was still alive until about thirty-some years ago, when she finally passed away of old age, so she lived well past a century. I'm honestly guessing that what the villagers say about my body being tainted by Kyuubi's chakra might be true, because not only do I heal a lot faster than any Uzumaki I've read about, but I've even been able to take the ability to the next step," Naruto explained, as he rolled up his sleeve and grew an extra forearm, complete with a hand, from his elbow.

"From what I can tell, the Uzumakis' ability to recover from horrible injuries is due to a regeneration factor we have. And, if you think about it hard enough, regeneration is actually a lesser form of shape-shifting. So, I guess with this 'taint', I've been able to gain an ability that can be put to good use," he continued, forcing the extra limb to recede back into his body, then added, "Fortunately, I can have parts of my body become other kinds of things, like metal. The kind of metal I put around my arm during that attack when I smashed into your Rotation technique, Neji, was actually a chakra-absorbing metal, which I happened to come across in a shinobi weapon shop. I didn't have enough money to buy it, so I touched it, and absorbed a tiny piece, to figure out what its chemical-whatchamacallit was. Actually, I still have some of your chakra in my system, Neji."

The Hyuuga prodigy chuckled. "That's an interesting technique you have, Uzumaki-san. However, it may cause a problem. The council will probably try to enact the CRA once they catch wind of this," he said, to which Naruto laughed.

"Oh, please! In preparation for becoming Hokage someday, I've studied Konoha's laws like crazy! I know of a fool-proof loophole for getting out of the CRA that applies to my case! So, no harem for me, no thanks!" he exclaimed proudly, then snickered, "I can't wait to see the looks on those old morons' faces when I pull that one out of the bag!"

Hinata giggled a little, Naruto's enthusiasm making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She was also relieved that, if she wound up with him, she wouldn't have to share him with anybody, though their babies would want to spend time with him, too, once they had some. Her face turned red at the thought, and she smiled. _"Naruto-kun would make an excellent father. I know it!"_ she thought to herself happily.

Naruto then sighed. "This technique is probably gonna freak you out, but I have to be there for my next match, and I don't feel like leaving you guys either. True Clone Jutsu!" he announced, then made a quick cut on his palm, along with a few hand-seals, and the blood that fell began growing into a second Naruto, with clothes, fortunately.

The others gasped at the display. "Incredible!" Hinata whispered in awe.

Naruto nodded, and his other self explained, "This jutsu is very useful, but we can only become so many of ourselves. We're linked through an invisible connection, like a hive mind, so if there are too many of us, the information coming from each of us gives us a terrible headache. Also, I'm just as real as the one next to me, who created me. We don't dispel, we simply become one person again when we're done with the technique. A very handy thing about this technique is that, even if you kill the one who originally cast it, the others, being just as real, can take his place as the 'real' me, and with our regeneration abilities, we're nearly unable to be killed anyway."

And so, after that explanation, the doppelganger closest to the door headed out to wait for his match. The remaining Naruto grinned and sat down near Hinata's bed. "I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?" he exclaimed happily.

Hinata smiled, and took Naruto's hand into hers. "You really are, Naruto-kun," she said happily, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Soon after, she fainted, a blissful expression on her face. Naruto just kept grinning, though he now had a bit of a blush on his cheeks, too.

Neji and Tenten smiled, happy that their friends' feelings were being nurtured...

Meanwhile, with the other Naruto...

Naruto was walking through the halls, heading to the contestants' box, when he ran into Shikamaru, coming back from his match.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto called out, then asked, "How did your match go?"

Shikamaru chuckled for a second, then said, "How do you think it went? I came inches from beating her, and the crowd knew it, then I forfeited. I'm gonna get hell from my mom later for that, though..."

Naruto laughed with him for a minute, and then they continued on their way to their destination. Halfway there, though, they were nearly suffocated by a familiar killing intent. After a moment, they heard some screams from a nearby hallway, which were quickly silenced.

Another minute passed, and Gaara walked out from the hallway the screams had originated from, a look of boredom on his face. As he passed the two Leaf Gennin, Naruto frowned. "There's a better way for people like us, you know," he said to the Sand jinchuuriki.

In reply, Gaara simply said, "It's all I know. I will kill you and your friends soon enough." With that, the crazed redhead left.

About a minute after Gaara left, Shikamaru recovered from the killing intent, and Naruto turned to him. "Please tell me Teme's here now," he said nervously.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, he got here right after my match ended. Why?" he asked.

Naruto frowned. "I get the feeling that, if that Gaara guy didn't have a decent target, he'd take his rage out on the spectators..." he said somberly, then added, "Also, what I said to him about 'people like us'...don't mention that to anybody. And don't ask around about it."

Shikamaru sighed. "It's troublesome, but your big, furry, nine-tailed secret has been safe with me for years. It'd be too troublesome if I told people, so don't worry about it. You're my friend and comrade, and as such, we stick together," he said, smirking a bit at the end.

"How long have you known?" Naruto asked nervously.

Shikamaru sighed. "I found out about a week after that mob attacked you when we were on our way to the park. Did a lot of digging around, and all I found was that a lot of the people in the village are more stupid than I had previously thought," he said, then added, "I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You're my friend, and it would be really troublesome if something happened to you."

Naruto smiled, and gave Shikamaru a quick pat on the shoulder. "Glad to hear my old pranking buddy is still on my side. It would be really 'troublesome' if you were against me, you lazy ass," he said, grinning at the end.

Shikamaru laughed. "It doesn't work with you. That word is exclusively for Nara Clan men," he said, and the two of them headed to the contestants' box...

In the arena...

Sasuke smirked as he stared down his opponent, but inside, he was pretty nervous. _"This guy's a real monster in battle, if what I've heard is true. I hope that extra hour I spent training with Kakashi-sensei pays off. I'd better not make a habit of being late like that, though,"_ he thought to himself as he got into his stance.

"FIVE THOUSAND RYOU ON THE TEME FROM THE UCHIHA CLAN TO WIN THIS!" a familiar, if not obnoxious, voice shouted from the contestants' box. "ANY TAKERS?"

Apparently, somebody in the contestants' box, Kankurou, from the look of it, felt confident they could make some money off of this, and took the bet, if the sensation of cold breath on the back of Sasuke's neck going away was any indication. If there was one thing Sasuke knew Naruto was good at, it was betting. The idiot had the devil's luck.

"Are both combatants ready?" Genma asked, grinning a bit as he sent a Shadow Clone to make use of Naruto's uncanny luck. Getting a nod from Sasuke and a look of impatience from Gaara, the Jounin shouted, "Begin!"

Almost immediately, Sasuke began throwing shuriken as he jumped around, keeping pressure on the Sand Gennin as he tried to figure out how his sand defense worked. Soon after, he could see that his efforts weren't working, so he decided to up the ante.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted, inhaling a huge gulp of air and blowing a large fireball at his opponent. Sasuke kept the fiery assault up for almost half a minute, until a huge amount of sand moved around the flames and rushed at him, forcing him to cease his attack so he could dodge.

Almost as soon as the fire died away, Sasuke noticed a glint from near Gaara's position. Taking a second look, he could see that he'd turned a good portion of the red-head's sand into glass.

Unfortunately, Gaara saw this as well, and felt that Sasuke was now a threat. A dome of sand quickly encased Gaara, and what appeared to be an eye formed near the top of the dome, floating in the air and watching to see if Sasuke would try anything new...

Meanwhile, in the contestants' box...

"No! What does that idiot think he's doing?!" Kankurou muttered in a panicky voice, then turned to Temari, and said, "Dammit, we've gotta get out of here!"

Temari turned to her black-clad brother and slapped him hard upside the head. "No way, Kankurou! We can't just abandon our baby brother to that...THING!" she exclaimed.

Kankurou frowned, looking extremely guilty, and said, "I know...but...we can't help him if he kills us, you know?"

Temari bit her lip, obviously frustrated. It was then that Naruto decided to interrupt. "I take it he's going to try for a host transformation?" he asked.

"How do you-"

"Relax. Teme should be able to stop him. And if he can't...well, your brother has number one, right? I have number nine," Naruto said, looking somberly towards the arena, realizing that he might be used for the first time as a deterrent today...

Meanwhile, in the med room...

Hinata was startled from talking to Neji and Tenten, when Naruto suddenly squeezed her hand. She looked up to his face, and saw that he was holding back tears. "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked.

Naruto didn't reply for a moment. He then suddenly asked Tenten, "Would you be able to carry Neji out of here if we suddenly had to evacuate?"

Tenten looked confused for a moment, but seeing Naruto's dead serious look, she soon answered, "Yeah... What's wrong?"

"Remember the stories of how strong Kyuubi was?" Naruto asked. Tenten slowly nodded, and Naruto explained, "One of its brothers is sealed inside of that Gaara kid. And it looks like that idiot is going to let him out for some fresh air."

Neji gasped. "You've gotta be kidding! People that powerful actually exist, and one of them is about to flatten our village?!" he exclaimed.

Hinata frowned. "Naruto-kun, what are you going to do?" she asked, scared for her crush.

"In the event that Teme can't stop the transformation from happening...I'll defeat Gaara myself," he said, then turned to Hinata, smiling a fake smile, and added, "Don't worry. My kind are used as weapons often in other villages. It's only fair I be used as one as well. Besides, you know I'm a lot stronger than others like me!"

Hinata frowned at Naruto's use of the 'fake smile'. "You don't have to pretend, Naruto-kun," she murmured, her eyes shedding the tears her crush refused to show. "I know it hurts for you. Let me help you," she said, as she wrapped her arms around him.

Naruto simply rested there for a moment, nestled in Hinata's embrace, when suddenly, he pulled back, and made a bunch of Shadow Clones, some of whom left the room.

"What's going on?!" Tenten asked, startled.

"We've gotta get Neji and Hinata to the shelters," Naruto said, his words and the look in his eyes giving him a commanding presence not felt since the Yondaime Hokage.

"Sand and Sound are invading!"

End Chapter Two


	3. What is Gained, and what is Lost

Love's Wings

Author's Note: I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor do I own any of its characters. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

2nd Author's Note: I'm glad everybody is enjoying this fic so much! Hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come! Please, continue reading and enjoying yourselves!

Chapter Three

_What is Gained, and what is Lost_

With Naruto, Hinata, and the others...

One of Naruto's shadow clones peered around a corner. The clone nodded once before whispering to Naruto and the others, "The coast is clear."

Naruto held Hinata close and dashed across the hall. Tenten was right behind Naruto, carrying Neji on her back.

"There are a lot of Sound and Sand ninja in the arena. We need to find a safe place to hunker down for a bit," Naruto said, maintaining the commanding presence he had recently adopted.

"I saw a supply closet on my way down to visit Neji. It's off the main hall," Tenten whispered.

"Let's go," Naruto whispered back, and Tenten took point. The group eventually reached the supply closet. Naruto sent a shadow clone into the room to check it out. A moment later, the clone reported that everything was safe. The doors to the closet were solid, and could easily take a big hit.

"This room was probably designed to be a temporary shelter in the event of an attack," Neji observed.

Naruto nodded in agreement, then paused for a second as the memories of one of his shadow clones came to him. "We're gonna have to wait a bit. Kiba, Akamaru, and Hanabi are on their way here to join up with us," he explained.

As he finished saying this, though, Hinata began whimpering slightly, as if in pain. "Hinata? What's wrong?" he asked, nervous for the girl in his arms.

Hinata's face scrunched up as she forced herself to keep from crying out. "My c-chakra...It's acting weird...It feels strange..." she whimpered, then cried out, alarming the group, and causing Neji to activate his Byakugan to see what was wrong with his cousin. What he saw startled him.

"Her chakra is being flushed out of her body, and at the same time, some new, _brighter_ chakra is taking its place! I'd say the new chakra is foreign, but her body is producing it on its own, so it's obviously not," the Hyuuga prodigy explained, startling the group with his findings.

Suddenly, Hinata heard a voice in her head. Normally, this would alarm her, but it was a voice she knew well, and had yearned to hear for years. _"Hinata-chan, it's going to be okay,"_ her mother's voice spoke to her from wherever she was, then explained, _"The pain will only last until your new chakra has replaced your human chakra. After that, though, your body will be weak for a good, long while, probably a month. I will make arrangements for Naruto to look after you during this time, as it would be dangerous for him not to be with you while you're recovering. For an angel and a human, this time is called 'The Time of Bonding'. It will be up to him to care for you for this month, and in return, the two of you will become stronger, and be connected for life._

"_I will come find you soon. Right now, I have a friend to take care of. Until then, trust in your senses. They will keep you and your friends safe. I love you, my baby girl, and tell Hanabi-chan that, though she is not mine by blood, I love her, too."_ With that, the voice vanished, leaving Hinata feeling more confident than before and full of strength.

It was then that Hanabi, Kiba, and Akamaru made it to the room they were hiding in. "Neechan! What's happening to your chakra?" the only female of the newcomers asked worriedly.

Hinata smiled softly at her sister, and rubbed the top of her brown-haired head gently. "I'll be okay, Hanabi-chan. It's just my body changing from a human to a half-angel. Everything's going to be okay," the young rookie Gennin said softly, then added, "Mother says she's coming back soon. She sends her love, and I get the feeling she can't wait to meet you!"

"Mommy's coming back?!"

"Your mom's coming back?!"

Hanabi and Naruto both shouted at the same time. Hinata nodded happily, then froze for a second. "Something bad is coming..." she murmured, shivering slightly at the feeling of somebody evil creeping at the edge of her senses. She didn't know how she was sensing it, but she was, and it scared her

"Hinata? What do you mean something bad's coming?" Naruto asked, confused.

Kyuubi growled behind the seal. **"Hey, kit! You'd better trust your girlfriend on this one! Even as only a half-angel, her ability to sense danger is far greater than a human's! She's probably found one of that snake bastard's agents who's looking for you! Might want to move your group out of there...Dammit! Too late!"** the great demon lectured, then shouted at the end, just as a bubble of pinkish chakra expanded from Hinata's body and covered them all, protecting them from the blast that ripped the door off its place on the wall.

"I never really liked explosive tags, but that door just didn't look like it would come down," Kabuto said as the dust cleared.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thank Kami, it's just you, Kabuto," he said.

"**DAMMIT, BOY, LOOK AT THE INSIGNIA ON HIS HEADBAND!"** Kyuubi scolded/warned. Naruto looked, and sure enough, on Kabuto's headband was a Sound insignia, rather than the spiral of the leaf.

"What do you want, traitor?" the jinchuuriki snarled.

Kabuto laughed sinisterly. "I can't believe you actually saw through my act so quickly. And here I thought this was going to be easy...What do I want? I want the little angel you're carrying," he said darkly.

"Over my dead body!" Naruto shouted.

"Exactly how I LIKE IT!" Kabuto shouted, swinging an arm laced with chakra at the boy.

Unfortunately for Kabuto, Hinata's barrier was stronger than his Chakra Scalpel technique. While Kabuto was busy being startled at this new development, Kyuubi was helping Naruto plan something.

"**Kit! Make a shadow clone, but let me provide the chakra!"** the great demon urged.

"_And let you escape? No way!"_ Naruto mentally argued.

"**DAMMIT, KIT! THIS SEAL'S TOO STRONG FOR ME TO ESCAPE LIKE THAT! NOW MAKE THE DAMN SHADOW CLONE, OR WE'LL DIE, AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND WILL BE MADE INTO SOME KIND OF LAB RAT!"**

"_Fine! I get it!"_

Quickly forming his most-used seal, Naruto created a shadow clone, which quickly took on the features of his Kyuubi-fied form. **"Your fight's with me, now, little traitor!"** the demon-possessed shadow clone growled. It then grabbed Kabuto's head in its hand, and rocketed off through several walls into the streets outside of the Chuunin Exam Stadium, dragging the traitor along the ground.

Naruto sighed in relief, and quickly turned to the others. "My inner furry, who I'll explain to you about later, is taking care of him now, so let's get moving!" he explained, then ordered, and they all headed out...

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Fire Country...

A pair of magenta eyes opened for the first time in over a decade. The woman the eyes belonged to tried to speak, to ask what was going on, but all that came out was a raspy breath.

"Relax, Kushina-chan. I'm bringing you out of a comatose state, and it's going to take a lot of life chakra to do it. You've been like this for a little over a decade now. But don't worry, we're both going to see our little ones again soon," a voice said from next to the woman, who had been revealed to be Kushina Uzumaki.

"Ughhh...*Cough Cough*...Izumi...-neechan?" Kushina rasped.

Kushina could barely see it, due to her eyes still adjusting to the light, which she hadn't seen in years, but the woman nodded. "Kami-sama felt that enough was enough, and that Danzou wasn't going to change his ways anytime soon. She feels that She needs to interfere Herself, so She has allowed me to replace his minions' souls with repenting sinners of the dead, who will be allowed into heaven after taking said minions' places for a bit. It's really not a good thing to make humans behave the way Danzou-teme makes his ROOT behave. They have no sense of right and wrong, only the mission. That means all of their souls have to be recycled, since they cannot be properly judged upon death. So now, I have been sent down to deal Judgment upon his soul, in the hopes that such a thing never happens again. As a plus, I will be allowed to be with my family again, and I was allowed to save you, so you could be with little Naru-chan," Izumi explained.

Kushina smiled, a tear falling from her eye before she fell back to sleep...

A few minutes later, with Kyuubi and Kabuto...

Kyuubi grinned as a new sliver of information entered his mind. "She's alive, huh? That's great! The kid's going to need his mom to help him figure out how to treat that little angel like a lady!" the possessed shadow clone laughed, confusing Kabuto.

"Who's alive? What are you talking about, in the middle of a battle like this?" the Sound medic asked, confused at the sudden pause in his beating.

Kyuubi waved his finger at the boy. "Uh-uh-uhhh! I'm not telling you about that. What I _will_ tell you, however, is that some poor moron pissed Kami-sama off enough that She sent one of Her angels to deal with him! It might be you, it might be your master, it might be somebody not even associated with you! I don't feel like telling a little puppet like you!" the demon exclaimed, then smiled and said, "Good luck making it out of the village with an arm missing, you little rat!"

Then, Kyuubi did something that confused Kabuto. It smashed a fist into the ground, going underneath it. It took five seconds for Kabuto to realize that Kyuubi knew it was fighting a reanimated corpse, and that said demon knew where his real target was. Sadly, that was three seconds too late for Kabuto's right arm.

The possessed shadow clone's arm exploded from the ground next to the real Kabuto in his hiding spot, and its hand gripped the traitor's arm tightly. In the palm of the shadow clone's hand was an imprint of an explosive seal.

"Boom," Kyuubi said softly, a grin on its face.

With that, Kabuto was sent flying, the majority of his right arm missing. Before dispelling the shadow clone it possessed, Kyuubi used his power to destroy the remains of the arm, knowing from his last host's memories that it's better to be safe than sorry when it came to detached limbs...

At that time, in the shelters...

Naruto and the others had finally made it to the shelters. Unfortunately, as soon as they got there, one of the Hyuuga Elders saw them, and started giving Naruto trouble.

"Hand that wench over to me. She has publicly disgraced the clan, and must be punished for it," the elder, Hiro, commanded.

Hinata shivered slightly, sensing something disgusting about this man's intentions. Naruto, while not sensing such a thing, just plain didn't trust the guy. "I don't think so. I've made it my mission to keep an eye on her, and I don't trust you. So, I'm going to keep her with me," he replied, turning so that Hinata was further from the elder than before.

Unfortunately, the elder in question wouldn't stand for it. He pulled a huge amount of chakra into his hand for a Juuken strike, and used it on Naruto's left shoulder. The result was devastating.

Naruto's arm burst off at the shoulder, showering blood on the nearby wall. He collapsed, and dropped Hinata, who he could tell was screaming his name, despite his suddenly numbed senses. His friends called out to him, telling him to hold on, while they tried to stem the bleeding. Neji tried to rush the elder, but his injuries caused him to be easily knocked away.

It was then that Kyuubi decided to put his two cents in. **"Hey, kid. Did you forget about your new powers already?"** he asked in a mocking tone.

Naruto gritted his teeth, and focused as his arm slowly began to regrow from the stump at his shoulder, causing his friends to look in awe. Soon enough, the limb was completely regrown, though it was noticeably paler than the rest of Naruto's body. The gasps from his friends sounding clearly in his ears let the young jinchuuriki know that he was no longer in shock, and he flexed his new left arm, making sure it worked right.

It was then that a familiar Chuunin teacher rounded a nearby corner. "What's going on here?" Iruka asked, quickly noticing the severed arm, one of his former students struggling in the arms of a Hyuuga elder, and yet another former student of his lying on the ground, injured.

Hiro grunted slightly, struggling to keep Hinata restrained. "The situation is under control, Umino-san," he said sternly, then added, "You should go back to what you were doing."

Kiba growled. "I call bullshit! You busted Naruto's freaking arm off, then you started manhandling my teammate, and then you knocked Neji out! I don't know the Konoha's laws by heart, but there's gotta be some kind of punishment for pulling all that during an invasion!" he shouted.

Iruka sighed. "Elder-sama, I'm sorry, but Gennin Inuzuka is correct. Attacking a Leaf shinobi during a crisis such as this results in immediate arrest. I'm going to have to restrain you. Don't make this harder than it has to be," he explained wearily.

Hiro smirked. "Sorry, but this is a clan affair," he said smugly.

Iruka shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "It stopped being a clan affair as soon as you attacked Naruto, who is not a member of your clan. I don't know how he grew his arm back, but these guys are telling me you took his arm off, and that definitely qualifies as assault, at the very least. You have the right to plea to Hokage-sama after all of this is over, but I'm pretty sure you're going to be imprisoned for a few decades. Please, don't make this any worse than it already is," Iruka replied.

The old Hyuuga groaned in annoyance. "Very well, I'll turn myself in," he said, putting Hinata down and walking over to Iruka and the others.

Hiro was nervous. No doubt, he wouldn't survive prison. He kept thinking and thinking, hoping to find some way out of this. As he walked closer to Iruka, and inevitable imprisonment, he noticed that Naruto was walking past him to Hinata. _"I'll kill the little demon while I'm in between him and that damned Chuunin! He's the cause of all of this, after all!"_ he thought to himself.

As soon as Naruto picked Hinata up, Hiro rushed back to them. "Naruto-kun! Watch out!" Hinata cried out.

There was no way Naruto could defend himself, what with him holding Hinata in his arms. If he put her down, he wouldn't have time to turn around, and he'd be killed. If he turned around, Hinata might get hit. Then, the answer came to him.

"DIE, YOU KAMI-DAMNED JINCHUURIKI!" Hiro shouted as he lunged at Naruto's unprotected back. Suddenly, from the back of his waist, Naruto grew a second upper half of his body; head, arms, and clawed hands included. One of the clawed hands burst through the elder's torso, coming out the other side.

Almost immediately afterward, the extra torso shrank back into Naruto, and he sat down on the ground. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked nervously, reaching up to his face.

Naruto shook his head. "I...I don't know, Hinata..." he murmured, then looked her in the eyes and asked, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Hinata shook her head, but her eyes said otherwise. Naruto frowned, and asked softly, so the others couldn't hear, "He didn't touch you in any places he shouldn't have, did he?"

Hinata stiffened for an instant, then nodded. Naruto wrapped his arms around her softly. "It's okay. He won't be doing that again," he whispered gently.

It was then that Iruka patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Are you going to be all right? That was your first kill, wasn't it?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Second. I had to kill a drunk in self-defense when I was six. Hokage-jiisan gave me the talk that day. I...should be okay this time around, but if it starts to really bother me, I'll come to see you or the old man," Naruto replied.

Iruka frowned slightly, noticing that the regrown arm was paler in color than the rest of Naruto's currently showing body. "This shape-shifting ability...You-know-who didn't give it to you, did he?" he asked nervously.

Naruto shrugged as much as he could with Hinata in his arms. "A bit of yes and a bit of no. I have it because of the furball, but it didn't give me this power intentionally. Apparently, it's more because of my heritage on my mom's side that I have it, which is why I dubbed it 'Uzumaki Shape-shift'," the young demon container explained.

The scarred Chuunin instructor sighed. "Good. You know I worry about you, Naruto," he said, then turned to Naruto's gathered friends, and asked, "How many of you heard what Hiro called Naruto?" Basically all of them raised their hand. Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's not my place to explain to you why he called Naruto that, or what a jinchuuriki is, but none of you are allowed to refer to Naruto as a jinchuuriki under penalty of death. Naruto's had a rough enough life because of people hating him for his status as a jinchuuriki, and I don't want you guys bothering him about it too much. Hiro's fate was sealed as soon as he called Naruto that word. It's an S-ranked secret for a reason," Iruka explained.

Hinata cleared her throat. "If it makes you feel any better, Iruka-sensei, I've known about what Naruto-kun is for several years now. His status as...that...doesn't mean anything bad to me. If anything, it makes me admire him more," she said softly.

Iruka smiled. "I only wish more people felt that way, Hinata. I'm proud to have taught such an intelligent kunoichi," he said happily.

Kiba spoke for the group. "I think I speak for all of us that _that_ doesn't bother us. I overheard Naruto and Hinata discussing it earlier, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one in our group who can tell the difference between a scroll and the kunai that's sealed in it," he replied, mentally patting himself on the back for the clever analogy.

Naruto nodded, and Iruka escorted the group further into the shelters, hoping that the battle outside would end soon...

Meanwhile, with Gaara and the other Naruto...

The two young jinchuurikis' battle was finally at a close. It was close, but Gamabunta's help gave Naruto the win. Gaara now lay on his back, defeated, as Naruto drew closer.

"No! Stay away! My existence will not end!" Gaara shouted, panicking.

Naruto frowned, tears in his eyes. "It hurts, doesn't it? The pain of being alone...And you've had it even worse than me," he said softly, hoping to break through the shell of hate surrounding Gaara's heart. "I...hate to say this, because I really hope we can be friends, but if you try to hurt my friends again, I won't hold back, and I will kill you."

Gaara was startled, and it showed on his face. "Why...why would you do this...for anyone but yourself?" he asked, truly curious.

"I do it because they saved me from myself. They ended my loneliness, and became close to me!" the blond jinchuuriki said, a hint of joy at the end of his statement, then asked, "Don't you have anybody who makes you feel like you deserve to be happy, who cares about you?"

Gaara closed his eyes in concentration. "I...have my brother and sister...and..."

Flashback

Gaara was sitting on that one swing again. It had been years since he'd last come to this park just to think, rather than to sate his demon's bloodlust. Naturally, the swing was a bit small for him, but he still fit, so he didn't care.

Eventually, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up, and saw a girl, just a bit younger than him, walking over to the swing set. She sat down on the swing next to him, and smiled softly at him. "We're the same right now, aren't we? I used to have people that cared about me, but now I'm alone, like you," she said, sounding sad.

Gaara could sense no hate from this girl, and she was much too young to be an assassin sent by his father. He decided to reply. "You are correct. I'm alone in this world. If you are alone, though, why seek me out? You could easily be together with other people," he queried.

The girl simply replied sadly, "I was originally going to ask you to kill me, but seeing you like this...Maybe the two of us can be alone...together? I don't know why, but I feel like I see a bit of my own loneliness in you, and I want to make us both feel better."

Gaara smiled a happy smile for the first time in years. "You want us to be alone together, huh?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "My name is Matsuri. I was hoping, after a while of being alone together, we can be happy together. Does that sound good?" she offered, looking at him with her soft brown eyes.

Gaara turned and showed his smile to the girl. "My name is Gaara, and I would like that very much, Matsuri," he replied.

The two sat there in comfortable silence until the night came...

End Flashback

"I have...Matsuri, too," Gaara concluded.

Naruto nodded. "Be happy with them, fight alongside them, and protect them with everything you have. You will be truly strong, and truly happy, Gaara," he explained, then added, "I...would like to fight alongside you too, someday. As your friend."

Gaara smiled and nodded back. "I would be honored to be your friend, Uzumaki Naruto," he said.

Just then, Kankuro and Temari came down from the trees to get Gaara, and Sasuke did the same for Naruto.

"You did great, dobe. Sakura's free from the sand, and it looks like the battle is over. We won," the Uchiha commented. He nodded towards the Sand siblings, and they got the hint and took off. "Then again, I guess I can't call you 'dobe' anymore, after taking that guy out."

Naruto grinned. "Call me whatever. Just help me get home. We've gotta report to the old man, you know?" he replied.

Sasuke made his patented 'hn' sound, and muttered, "Whatever, otouto."

And so, Squad Seven headed back to Konoha...

Meanwhile, with Jiraiya, and several Jounin and ANBU...

Jiraiya looked solemnly at the body that lay on the roof of the Kage booth, a familiar seal on its stomach.

"Why, Sensei? You were going to give the hat to that brat personally...You can't do it if you're gone..." the Gama Sennin said sadly. With that, Jiraiya of the Sannin gently closed the dead eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who somehow managed to be smiling in the end...

End Chapter Three


	4. Bonding

Love's Wings

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction.

Author's Note: brown phantom has a poll on his profile, as does zentary, concerning who the best author on is. Please visit said profiles and vote!

Chapter Four

_Bonding_

At Kurenai's house, the next day...

Hinata sighed as she rested in her new bed. A lot had happened yesterday. She and Hanabi had gone home (with Naruto's escort, since he knew he shouldn't leave Hinata's side for long during her recovery from The Change, as she learned it was called in the case of a half-human half-angel) to find their father waiting for them with a few storage scrolls and a sad smile on his face. "You're both free of this accursed clan now, my daughters. I've disowned you without placing the seal on you, and entrusted your care to someone who will treat you both well," he'd said, handing the scrolls to Naruto, and telling him, "You may not be their named guardian, but please look after my daughters for me when you can, especially Hinata."

After a somewhat tearful goodbye, Hiashi sent them to Kurenai's house. He had apparently planned this, and asked Kurenai to adopt the two of them after he disowned them. Naruto had been about to go home to get his things, only to learn that his apartment building had been destroyed in the attack. Kurenai happily invited him to live with her and the former Hyuuga sisters for the time being, saying that she wanted to care for him a bit too, after all he'd done for the village throughout his life.

After recovering what he could from the wreckage of his home, Naruto returned, happier than most would be after losing such a thing. The reason being? Nothing that he truly valued was lost. He'd found his goggles, Gama-chan, his framed team seven photo, and the jar of ointment Hinata had given him during the Chuunin Exam Prelims, all intact and in good condition.

Now, though, Hinata felt very helpless. Her body's weakness had finally set in fully, and she couldn't even dress herself without assistance. She shared a room and a bed with Hanabi at the moment, since there weren't many bedrooms in the house, and Naruto opted to simply sleep on the floor in the hallway outside of the room, stating that the carpeted floor was much more comfortable than his old bed, and that he wanted to stay close to Hinata from now on.

It was a strange feeling that Naruto and Hinata had begun to experience. Every time they were close to each other, their bodies and minds felt this...comforting sensation, as if some inner power was encouraging their closeness, and rewarding them for it. One of the first things Naruto had done for her after her weakness set in was to borrow a wheelchair from the hospital, so he could help her get around without having to carry her. Still, they both felt that such an action that would cause close contact would be a good experience, and Naruto decided only to use the wheelchair outside of the house.

Right now, while she was saddened by her current helplessness, she was also somewhat happy, and at peace. Holding Hanabi in her arms as the sisters rested, and having Naruto relaxing on a recliner in the room, Hinata felt a sense of happiness creeping into her heart, and beginning to overwhelm the disappointment she felt in herself.

A few words from Hanabi pulled her from her mind. "Neechan, I think you might need a bath. You've been sweating a lot more than usual since you started feeling tired," she murmured, snuggling slightly with her elder sister despite said sweat.

Hinata giggled lightly. "I guess I could use one, ne?" she said, then turned to Naruto and asked, "Would you mind carrying me to the bathroom so Hanabi-chan can bathe me, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded with a smile, and after Hanabi got out of the bed, he went over and gently lifted Hinata, dressed in some baggy pajamas, out of the bed. Before moving from the spot, he paused, enjoying the feeling of warmth he got from their closeness for a moment with her. "This feeling we get when we're close...It's nice, Hinata-chan," he said softly, slightly lulled by the sensation.

Hinata nodded. "I h-hope it s-stays after I've recovered. It a-adds a lot to what I f-felt before when I would be c-close to you," she replied, stammering a little due to her elated state as she snuggled a little in his arms.

Finally, the young almost-couple left the room with Hanabi, only to be stopped in the hall by Kurenai.

"How are you three today?" she asked, smiling at the kids before her.

"We're fine, Kurenai-kaasan," Hanabi said happily, then added, "I'm just going to give Neechan a bath, since she seems to be sweating a lot."

Kurenai took a thoughtful pose. "I think I've got a better idea, Hanabi-chan," she said, then smirked slightly, and added, "Why doesn't Naruto bathe Hinata-chan instead? They need to bond, and, in all honesty, it will help them cover some ground in their relationship."

She then looked at Naruto, and explained, "The fact is, Naruto, you don't know much about women, and you're going to need to see Hinata as a young woman who attracts you, instead of just a friend and comrade-in-arms. If I'm correct, while this will be somewhat uncomfortable for you two, it will serve to help with both. Besides, you're both shinobi. Eventually, you're going to have to search the bodies of fallen enemies, some being the opposite gender of yourselves, and I'm sure you'll be relieved to have the first naked person of the opposite sex that you see be a friend, rather than the dead body of an enemy." She decidedly left out the fact that they'd likely have1 to do the same for fallen comrades. The two of them didn't need to know that just yet.

Naruto frowned slightly. "I guess it could be a good experience..." he replied, then turned to Hinata, and asked, "Are you all right with this, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled softly. "It would be a great relief to me, Naruto-kun, to know that the first boy to see...my body...in such a way, would be the boy I l-love..." she said quietly, blushing heavily and becoming slightly aroused at the idea of her love of several years bathing her, and touching her nude form.

Hanabi frowned slightly, then sighed and turned to Naruto. "I trust you to treat my sister well. Please don't abuse this privilege," she said, then bowed slightly in habit, and requested, "Please take good care of my neechan. I'll get clean clothes for you to change her into when you're done." Hinata's blush covered a good amount of her face upon hearing the unintended innuendo from her sister.

Soon enough, the two of them were in the bathroom, and it was time for Naruto to help Hinata strip. Hesitant at first, Naruto removed her top, becoming startled after doing so. Hinata didn't wear a bra.

Naruto almost immediately stopped what he was doing to blush and look away. "H-Hinata-chan...Why aren't you wearing a bra?" he stammered.

Hinata smiled softly, somewhat relieved that she wasn't the only one of the two of them that was embarrassed. "Ano...T-they feel very...u-uncomfortable to me..." she answered. She then noticed that he still had his head turned, and said, "I d-don't mind if you l-look...I-I'll even tell you w-what they're used for, if you w-want."

"What they're used for? I don't understand. How are they used?" the blond asked, turning and blushing as he looked at her. She was very beautiful, in his eyes.

Hinata blushed heavily when he looked at her. "I k-know they d-didn't t-teach you how babies are m-made at the academy," Hinata mumbled softly. "The people who came in that day to teach it were some of the people who don't like you...T-the fact is, a w-woman's breasts are used to feed her babies for a while after they're born," she explained, then blushed and said, "W-While a woman is pregnant, and for a while afterwards, her b-breasts will produce m-milk that's very rich in n-nutrients, and the baby s-sucks it from her n-nipples...I-If you w-wanted, though, I-I'd let you drink from them, t-too...One of the reasons you're so s-short for your age is b-because your mother w-wasn't around to f-feed you that way..."

Naruto nodded, his mind picturing a grown-up Hinata feeding his...no, _their_ baby. The thought made him feel warm inside. He then sighed, and said, "Maybe I should get undressed, too. It's not fair if you're the only one naked."

With that, he began undressing, causing Hinata to blush even more. Fortunately for her, she seemed unable to faint in her current state. She had to say, though, he was very handsome, and his penis was pretty big, though she didn't know if other boys' man parts were that big as well, seeing as his was the only one she'd ever seen, and hopefully the only one she ever would see.

Naruto then realized he'd never taken Hinata's pajama bottoms off, and he hesitantly reached for them. Hinata blushed heavily, but managed to give him a look of encouragement. He got them off, then became confused when he saw that her panties were wet. Instinctively, his member became stiff, as if it thought it was going to be used. Hinata blushed, and with a nervous smile, explained, "My p-panties are w-wet because I'm aroused...T-The same can be s-said about w-why your...man part g-got hard..."

Naruto nodded, blushing as he began to understand what she was saying. Their bodies were instinctively preparing to conceive a child, even though they both knew they weren't going to do that. He slowly peeled off Hinata's panties, and was startled at what he saw. While Naruto was the creator of the Sexy Jutsu, he only really knew the basic shape of a woman's body. The only thing he knew about the part between a woman's legs was that it was flat, and didn't show through their undergarments like a man's penis.

It looked like a pair of lips, except they were vertical instead of horizontal, and it wasn't on the front of her crotch, like his man part, rather, it was on the underside of it. A part of him realized that this was a very special part of Hinata, and that he was the only boy she'd ever willingly show it to. Knowing that, he felt very privileged to see it.

Hinata, despite her embarrassment, giggled at the look of awe on Naruto's face. She moved her hand to her nether lips, and spread them apart. Pointing to the proper opening, Hinata explained, "This is where my babies will come out, when I have them. Naturally, it will hurt a lot, but as my mother told me, holding a child of your own creation in your arms is satisfying enough that the pain is worth it."

Hinata then took Naruto's hand, and placed it on her lower belly. "Underneath my skin here is my womb, where I will carry each child for around nine months. Do you want me to tell you how those children will get there?" she explained, then asked. Naruto nodded in response, very curious suddenly. Hinata continued. "A woman's ovaries produce a single egg cell each month, and that egg cell rests in an area called the fallopian tube. On its own, an egg cell can't produce a baby. In order for a baby to be conceived, a sperm cell, which would come from your body, would have to find its way to my egg cell, and get inside of it. As for how it gets there..." Hinata paused at this point, and blushed heavily, her recently found confidence faltering a bit, "Y-Your m-man part would have t-to...go inside of my v-vagina...a-and let the sperm cells out i-inside of me...T-That is w-what's called...s-sex."

Naruto simply stood there for a moment, contemplating what he was just told, and blushing badly as he thought about it. He then turned to Hinata, and grinned sheepishly. "I've always dreamed of having a family of my own someday. If we're happy enough with each other when we're older, I would be very glad to have kids with you!" he replied happily.

Hinata giggled lightly at the happy tone her crush's voice took, and said, "I think you should start the water now. I still need a bath, after all!"

Naruto nodded, and did just that. When the tub was a good ways full, he gently lifted Hinata off the floor, only to have that feeling of comfort that went through them when they were close suddenly hit them both like a wave.

"Hinata...You feel that, right?" Naruto asked, slightly lulled by the feeling.

Hinata nodded slowly. "Yes...I-I think it's...encouraging us...Whatever's causing this feeling...it's encouraging us to bond..." she said softly.

Naruto nodded. "Probably...I'm going to check something really quick. Try not to panic, because I'm not actually going to do it," he warned his partner.

Naruto turned Hinata around in his arms so she had her back facing his front, and slowly lowered her so her opening was getting closer to his member.

Hinata let out a small whimper of fear, and almost an instant later, the two of them were overcome with a frigid, cold feeling, much unlike the warmth that was brought about when they bonded comfortably.

"I thought so," Naruto said, moving Hinata so she was held bridal style again, then explained, "It seems like whatever encourages us to bond is able to discourage us from doing something we aren't ready for. I know I'm not ready for...sex...And from what I can tell, neither are you. I guess we'll just stick with cuddling, ne? Either way, sorry for scaring you like that."

Hinata snuggled into Naruto's chest. "It's okay...I-I'm just n-not ready for t-that yet," she murmured.

The blond jinchuuriki slowly placed Hinata into the bathtub, where she situated herself so she was comfortable. Naruto hesitated for a second, then leaned forward and kissed Hinata's forehead, causing the blunette to giggle. "Would you m-mind getting some b-bath salts, if Kurenai-neechan has them? T-they should b-be in the c-cupboard," Hinata requested.

Naruto nodded, and began going through the cabinet. He found a box that confused him, and, naturally, showed it to Hinata...

Outside of the bathroom, with Hanabi...

Hanabi cursed silently. Leave it to Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress to have a technique that can make the inside of a room invisible to the Byakugan. Since she couldn't keep an eye out for her sister the old-fashioned way, she simply sat outside of the bathroom, listening in case Naruto tried anything stupid.

It's not that she didn't trust Naruto. She just didn't feel comfortable with him giving her sister a bath, or doing other potentially intimate things with her. So when she heard her sister suddenly shriek, "Naruto-kun! Put that away!" you can bet she rushed into the room and got ready to Juuken the pervert to kingdom come!

She was startled, though, that, while they were both definitely naked, Hinata wasn't telling him to put 'that' away. Instead, she was apparently referring to a box of pads that Naruto had found, in his curiosity.

The three occupants of the room stared at each other for a moment, before Hanabi suddenly bowed her head. "Please forgive my intrusion," she said quickly, before rushing out of the room, closing the door, and promptly fainting...

Back with Naruto and Hinata...

Hinata blushed heavily at what just happened, but once again managed not to faint, and Naruto blinked a few times, wondering what the heck just happened. "Ummm, Hinata-chan? Did your sister just...?" he asked, confused.

Hinata nodded slowly, not trusting her mouth at the moment. Then she remembered what Naruto was holding onto. "Y-you should r-really put that away, Naruto-kun...That's not something b-boys should t-touch," she commented.

Naruto nodded. "I guess it's one of those 'girl' things...Hey, the bath salts were right behind these!" he said, finding exactly what he was looking for and bringing it out. "Well, I guess I'll put them in now."

Hinata nodded, and asked, "Could you mix them in, too? That makes them work better."

Naruto nodded, and dropped a handful of the minerals into the end of the tub Hinata wasn't occupying. He stretched his arm into the water, swirling it around, but he couldn't help but glimpse at his friend's nude form every once in a while. "Y-you can l-look if you w-want to, Naruto-kun," the girl mumbled shyly, noticing her crush's attempts to avert his gaze, "I r-really don't m-mind..." In reality, she was fairly proud that she could elicit such a reaction from her crush. She didn't mention this, but she found that she was also unable to look away from him.

Within a minute, the water was nice and smooth, and the scent of the bath salts reached the noses of both occupants of the room, calming their nerves a good deal. It was then that Naruto realized, in order to wash Hinata, he'd have to actually touch her...

Hinata, sensing her friend's nervousness towards the subject, decided to help him feel more at ease. "I...don't mind that you'll be washing me, N-Naruto-kun...I-I'm actually kind of e-excited about it..." she said, smiling softly, even as she blushed.

Naruto just nodded, not trusting his mouth to form the right words at the time, and began washing the half-angel. It was obvious to both of them that the other was nervous, and yet they felt excited about doing something like this. Soon enough, the young Uzumaki was finished with his task, but now the two of them were desiring something they'd never had before...

Begin Lime...

Hinata smiled, despite her trembling, as she sensed that her partner's feelings were running the same course as hers. "Y-you can come in, i-if you want..." she said softly, then realized that what she said could be taken differently, and added, "Into the tub, I m-mean..."

Naruto nodded, and got in, doing his best to hide his hard-on. He blushed more than he ever had in his life as he looked over to the other side of the tub to where Hinata was. "W-what are we...supposed to do?" he asked, so quiet that he almost didn't hear himself.

Hinata giggled lightly, despite herself. She hadn't thought that she would have to take the lead, but it was nice to know that even the one she admired so fiercely was with faults like her. "W-we can...cuddle a bit...M-maybe a little kissing...I guess we just do what comes n-naturally," she said softly, reaching out with both her arms as she leaned forward and rested against her crush's nude body, snuggling against his torso.

Naruto blushed heavily at Hinata's actions, but he enjoyed it immensely. He slowly wrapped his arms around her body, rubbing them against her soft, smooth skin. The warm feeling that had been with the two for a good while returned in full force, pulsing through their bodies. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki brought his head down to the top of Hinata's and kissed her tenderly, causing the girl to smile against his chest. "Y-you can touch me anywhere y-you want, N-Naruto-kun...J-just don't be rough, and don't...p-penetrate me..." she said softly, laying down the ground rules.

Naruto nodded, and moved Hinata so her back was facing him, letting her lie against him. His curious hands wandered, exploring the blunette's body. Hinata moaned lightly, feeling a tingling sensation moving through her being. This encouraged the whiskered boy, and he soon found out what places made his partner feel good. Her breasts, arms, legs, and stomach in particular were very sensitive. He was keeping himself from touching her nether area, but soon, Hinata took his hand and put it there herself. "Y-you can put your f-fingers inside me...I-I do that myself sometimes, w-when I'm stressed out," she mumbled, then added, "J-just be gentle, and d-don't push them in too f-far."

Naruto nodded, and pushed a single finger inside, feeling the wet tightness of the young celestial being's vaginal canal pulsing around it, squeezing down. Hinata moaned lightly upon feeling the intrusion. It was nothing like when she did it herself. She quickly decided that she shouldn't be the only one receiving pleasure, and moved one of her hands behind her, feeling for Naruto's member.

Naruto gasped when he felt Hinata's hand touch his erect penis, and he bit down on her neck slightly out of instinct. The pale-eyed girl let out a soft whimper, and the pressure that was building up inside of her began rising more quickly. The blond behind her was also experiencing a pressure build up in his man-part. "H-Hinata-chan...That feels really good," he grunted.

Hinata smiled, and wrapped her hand around her crush's piece, pumping it up and down a bit. "P-put another f-finger inside of me, p-please," she stammered.

Naruto nodded, slightly hazed, and did as his admirer requested. As he did this, Hinata's pumping of his member became more frantic, and in turn, so did his pumping of his fingers inside of her.

Soon enough, Naruto cried out, and Hinata let out a particularly loud whimper, and the two experienced their first release caused by another person...

End Lime...

Naruto gently lifted Hinata off him, and smiled at her as she panted. "That was...really nice. Thanks, Hinata," he said softly.

The blunette nodded, smiling with her eyes half-lidded. She could tell immediately that Naruto could likely keep going for a while, but it was obvious that she couldn't do the same. _"He's so considerate, stopping here,"_ she thought to herself, then murmured, "T-thank you, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto smiled, and got them out of the bath. He could see that Kurenai had brought in clean clothes for them at some point, and after drying and dressing Hinata and himself, he carried her back to her room so she could rest...

End Chapter Four


	5. The Two Mothers' Return

Love's Wings

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction.

Chapter Five

_The Two Mothers' Return_

Immediately after the end of chapter four

Naruto tried to put Hinata down to rest, but she didn't seem to want to let go of him. "Please, Naruto-kun, let me be selfish a little more. I wanna cuddle for a bit," she said sleepily.

Naruto was startled for a moment. "Y-you want to cuddle?" he asked, feeling slightly nervous.

Hinata nodded, blushing a bit. "O-outside of training and my hobbies, I e-enjoy cuddling, usually with Hanabi-chan or with Father, and a long time ago, I'd do it with my mother, too," she explained softly, smiling serenely at the memories of her mother. "She said she'd be coming back, being an angel and all," she added, hope lighting up her features.

Naruto frowned slightly. "I wish my mom was coming back," he said sadly, opening up slightly to Hinata by showing her one of his pains. "Hokage-jiichan said she and dad loved me, but he was never able to tell me who my father was, since he apparently had a lot of enemies who'd want to get at me for being his kid. My mom was Kushina Uzumaki, though, and I _know_ she loved me."

Hinata, who had been put down on the bed by now, reached up and pulled Naruto down to her. "I probably can't bring your parents back to life or anything like that with my new powers, but I'll definitely see if I can let you meet them, okay?" she replied softly, letting Naruto rest against her, then added, "I don't know how, but somehow, I can feel their powerful love for you still inside of you. So I know that Sandaime-sama was telling the truth about them loving you."

Naruto nodded, slightly lost in Hinata's freshly-bathed scent. "I'm glad...Thanks, Hinata," he said softly, forgoing the honorific so as to sound less formal.

Hinata nodded, blushing heavily upon feeling Naruto's emotionally tired out body resting upon hers, along with the lack of honorific. "Y-you're so very welcome, Naruto," she replied, pulling Naruto closer to her. After a while, she could tell he had fallen asleep. "Now, what to do about a certain nosy little sister?" she asked nobody in particular, flushing a surprised Hanabi out of hiding.

"I'm sorry, Neechan...I was just..." Hanabi stammered, but Hinata simply pulled her close to her as well, being careful not to disturb Naruto.

"I know, Imouto. You were just worried about my well-being. I won't scold you about it now, but please, try to trust my judgment a little more, okay?" the elder sister replied, kissing the top of the younger girl's head. "Let me hold my two precious people together for a while, and I'll forget that you thought you knew more about Naruto-kun than I do."

Hanabi giggled lightly, and the two girls soon fell asleep.

Several hours later

Naruto awoke, feeling more well-rested than he'd ever felt before. He smiled at the little angel next to him, who was still holding onto him like he was everything she ever wanted and more, and tried to get up, only for Hinata to not let go.

"No!" Hinata mumbled/pouted cutely in her sleep. Naruto had to smile at how cute she was as he tried to get loose again, gently prying Hinata's arms apart. He didn't want to wake her if he didn't have to; she was still weak from The Change, and she was too damn cute when she slept anyway! However, Hinata's arms would not budge. Their grip around him only became tighter, though not enough to cause him discomfort, and Hinata smiled slightly as she pressed her face against his. "Cuddly," she mumbled softly, obviously very happy.

Naruto grimaced, however, when he heard several snickers from the doorway, which was open, and apparently had been so this whole time. Turning, he saw that Sakura and Sasuke, as well as Hanabi, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino, had been in the room for the whole thing, and they were obviously amused.

Sasuke smirked. "You're hopeless, Otouto," the Uchiha said smugly.

Said jinchuuriki just stuck his tongue out. "You're just jealous that you aren't the one getting a hug of epic proportions!" he replied, grinning.

Hanabi grinned as well. "That's an accurate name for the grip Neechan has you in. I know from experience, she won't let go unless you either wake her up or hurt her, or use the method I discovered a while back," the younger girl explained, "Just grab one of her boobs, and she'll start feeling shy and let go."

Naruto blanched. "I can't do that!" he exclaimed, keeping the volume down as he did so.

Hanabi let out a 'hmph'. "I bet you didn't have a problem doing that when you gave her a bath earlier today. I may not have been able to see what was going on, but I know you did _something_ perverted," she accused, though nobody in the room besides Naruto and Hinata knew how accurate said accusation was.

Suddenly, Naruto was aware of a slight killing intent aimed at him. Gulping, he saw Sakura steaming angrily. "NaruTOOOOOOOO!" she cried out in rage, about to land a punch on the blond, who was currently unable to dodge.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. Hinata's Angelic Barrier came to life the instant the punch started heading for the blue-eyed troublemaker. Hinata's warm lavender eyes slowly opened, and she looked around, confused. Suddenly, she began blushing heavily upon seeing her teammates and Naruto's in the room, all while she still had her arms around Naruto. Normally, she would have fainted, but it seemed her powers kept her from doing so at this point. She let out a little squeak and hid her face against Naruto's chest. "W-what are y-you all doing h-here?" she asked.

Kiba grinned. "We came to check up on you and Naruto. Though, it seems you two were doing just fine without us," he replied, chuckling to himself.

Naruto and Hinata blushed at the implications, and Hinata quickly defended Naruto when it looked like Sakura was getting angry again. "D-don't be a-angry with Naruto-kun! I'm g-guessing you were t-told about what h-happened with us e-earlier, but that was...c-consensual! I e-enjoyed it just as much as N-Naruto-kun, a-and it wasn't his idea, a-anyway!" she exclaimed, then seemed to hide her face against Naruto's shirt when Sakura's attention was directed her way, and mumbled, "S-such closeness to Naruto-kun is s-something I t-treasure..."

Sakura sighed, putting away her 'angry face'. "I guess I should have expected that. You've been crushing on him for so long, it's only natural you'd have such thoughts," she replied, then smiled and added, "I guess I'll forgive my idiot of a teammate."

Shino suddenly cleared his throat. "There's a good deal of repairs that need to be done around the village. I suggest we go get to work," the bug user stated.

Naruto nodded. "I'll go grab Hinata-chan's wheelchair, then. I can't exactly be too far from her at this point, after all," the blue-eyed jinchuuriki replied, going to do just that.

Soon enough, the group was ready to head out, however, when they got to the door, an ANBU was there. "Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Yuhi. You two are required to come to the council chambers at once," the masked man stated stoically.

Naruto sighed. "Fine," he replied, then turned to his friends and said, "I guess we'll be seeing you later."

With that, Naruto wheeled Hinata away, following the ANBU.

Later, in the Konoha council chambers

Naruto and Hinata sat in their seats, waiting. It had been fifteen minutes, and the meeting hadn't started yet because the new Hokage hadn't arrived yet. Finally, Naruto's patience had been lost. "What's taking so long? Is the new Hokage Kakashi-sensei or something?" he asked, thoroughly annoyed.

Homura growled. "Be quiet, whelp! Hokage-sama will be here soon enough!" the village elder shouted.

An instant later, the door opened, and a man appeared in the threshold.

_tap_

_step-step_

_tap_

_step-step_

_tap_

_step-step_

It continued on like this, gratingly slowly, until finally, the crippled old man sat in the Hokage's designated seat, and placed the hat on his head. "I, Danzou Shimura, Godaime Hokage-"

"I CALL BULLSHIT! YOU'RE NOT HOKAGE!" Naruto shouted, startling many people out of their seats.

Danzou raised an eyebrow. "I know it's hard to accept that Hiruzen is no longer with us, but I _am_ Hokage now, Uzumaki," he said sternly.

Naruto harrumphed and crossed his arms across his chest. "That's not what I meant. Look up the qualifications for becoming Hokage, Teme!" the blond Gennin replied.

Danzou frowned. "I'm certain I'm more than qualified to take on this role," the war hawk stated firmly.

The shape-shifting Uzumaki turned his head to the side a tad. "Not if village law hasn't been changed in the past month, you're not!" he countered, then explained, "The Hokage, upon taking office, must be mentally and physically fit, and capable of defending the village himself or herself. You made us wait for fifteen minutes because of your bad leg, and I can tell just by looking that your right arm is as good as dead weight. So, in other words, you're NOT Hokage!"

Danzou ground his teeth. "Know your place, _Gennin!" _he growled out, hoping against all hope the boy was wrong.

Shikaku, who had been using a Konoha law book as a pillow until a moment ago, turned a page in said book as he searched. "The brat's right. Page 128, paragraph two," he said clearly, despite being half asleep.

Danzou began leaking Killer Intent that put the Kyuubi to shame. Quickly, Hinata put her arms around Naruto and erected her barrier around them. Danzou's attack, though, while aimed at them, didn't even make it to the barrier.

A pair of figures appeared out of thin air in front of Naruto and Hinata, one with beautifully long red hair, and the other with a pair of wings growing from her back.

"Danzou Shimura. By the order of Kami-sama, for forcing Her Greatness to recycle souls of this world and causing Her a greater headache than She's had in a long while, you are sentenced to spend however long it takes you to repent inside the stomach of Shinigami-sama," the winged woman stated, reading off a scroll in front of her, then added with a bit of venom, "And for attempting to attack my daughter and her beloved, I'll let Kushina-chan have some 'fun' with you before you go."

Kushina grinned maliciously. "After what I heard you wanted done with my baby boy, and what you intended to do with me, I'm going to make sure we have a _lot_ of fun!" she said evilly, sending chills down the spines of several council members' spines.

"_That's Kushina all right, no doubt about it..."_ was the thought that went through the minds of several clan heads, each of whom was considering going down and supporting the red head.

One of them did more than consider it. Hiashi leapt down from his seat and took a stand next to the angel. "I am happy beyond words to see you again, Izumi-chan. I will also stand by you and Kushina-sama to fight this man, who attempted to attack our daughter a moment ago," he said confidently, already knowing which side he was on.

Danzou growled. "Curse your treachery, Hiashi! You dare stand against your Hokage?!" the bandaged man shouted.

Kushina smirked. "I didn't know you were losing your hearing already! Naruto-chan already proved that you're not Hokage, didn't he?" she laughed. She then turned around to face Naruto, trusting Hiashi to cover her if Danzou tried something, and said, "When this is all over, you and I are going to have a good long heart-to-heart, my beloved baby boy. After all, I've been away for almost thirteen years now, so that's almost thirteen years of mothering to make up for!"

When Kushina turned around, she was quick to extend a chakra chain from her palm and send it through Danzou's chest, causing him to cry out in pain. "Don't worry, you're not dead yet. I missed your vitals on purpose. I'm going to cut a finger off for every year you kept me away from my baby boy," she said sadistically.

"Kushina-sama, Danzou only has ten fingers. You've been away for twelve years and nine months. I don't mean to offend, but the math doesn't add up..." Chouza said hesitantly, coming down from his council seat, along with Shikaku, Inoichi, Shibi, and Tsume. The civilian council had all passed out from fear by now, and Koharu and Homura were in shock from Danzou's betrayal.

Kushina simply smiled in a way that told Chouza and the others that she was going to improvise. "That just means I have to cut off two-point-seven-five other parts of him, now doesn't it?" she asked in a way that sent fear into Shikaku's heart, reminding him of his wife when she got in a certain mood. "Since I've got dibs, you guys can just stay back and watch," she added, then pinned Danzou's left arm and both legs, along with his right shoulder, with more chains.

Danzou howled. "ANBU! Where are my ANBU?!" he shouted, wondering what had happened to his men.

Izumi growled. "What you did to those men forced Kami-sama to recycle their souls. Ever since yesterday afternoon, they've been under my command, controlled by souls that had repented, and wished for a chance to prove themselves good. Now I relieve these souls of their duties. Kami-sama awaits all of them in Her home in Heaven," she said. As she spoke, several ROOT ANBU fell from the ceiling to the floor, their last words a collective thank-you to Izumi as they all died and returned to Kami.

Danzou growled, but, as Kushina got closer, he smirked a little, a plan having already formed in his head. A tree suddenly sprouted from Danzou's right shoulder, causing metallic bands that had been hidden on his right arm to come popping off. The tree grew in a way that it began to wrap around both Danzou and Kushina, and it began to crush them.

Naruto, who'd finally gotten over the shock of meeting his mother after so long, almost rushed to help her, realizing the danger she was in. Izumi, however, gripped his shoulders surprisingly tightly. "Don't worry. She's got this in the bag," she said softly, smiling softly at the boy, then added, "Please take Hinata-chan someplace safe. We will come get you when it's over."

Naruto, noticing finally that his mother had performed a substitution with a chair, nodded, and picked Hinata up, rushing away with the girl in his arms. Hinata gazed at her mother, who gave her a look that promised they'd see each other again soon, and the younger blunette smiled softly, blowing a kiss to the woman she'd missed so much.

Kushina reappeared from a corner of the room and grinned. "That moron actually killed himself! Saves me a lot of trouble!" she chuckled.

Izumi smiled for a second, before her facial expression turned to an alarmed one, and she tackled Kushina, saving her from a slicing barrage of wind chakra. As they rose after the attack, they were greeted by a grotesque sight.

Danzou's right arm had been revealed, and it was not something anybody would want to look at for too long. At the shoulder, there was a face of all things, and along his arm and on the palm of his hand, there were ten Sharingan eyes in total. In addition to that, Danzou's right eye had been uncovered, only to show he had the eye of Shisui Uchiha in place of it. Shisui's eye, however, suddenly closed, and didn't seem like it would open again.

Kushina growled. "Dammit, he's using Izanagi to cheat death, and I'm guessing he intends to keep using it until he can't anymore," she said angrily.

Danzou grinned. "Very astute, for a girl like you, Kushina. I wonder where you even heard about this technique," he said, sounding pretty confident with himself.

Kushina shrugged. "You learn a thing or two when you're best friends with the Uchiha Clan's Matriarch. However, your use of that technique just means I can kill you as many times as I want for ten more minutes, and that sounds like a really fun idea to me-ttebane!" she exclaimed, then fired her chakra chains in various directions, creating a barrier inside of the council room, keeping Danzou from escaping. "You aren't getting out til' you've paid your dues, old fart!" she exclaimed.

Needless to say, Danzou was pissed. He had hoped he could escape, but apparently, that wasn't an option now. _"I should have just run when I used Izanagi! Of all the times for me to slip up, it had to be now!"_ he thought, cursing the little humanity he had left that had caused that mistake. _"Oh well. I'm not going down without a fight!"_

And so, the battle commenced. Kushina shot another chakra chain at Danzou, aimed at the man's head. The elderly man dodged it, only to come close enough to Hiashi for said Hyuuga Patriarch to initiate one of his most powerful attacks.

"Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four palms...Eight Trigrams, One Hundred Twenty-eight Palms!" he called out, then, as soon as Danzou's Izanagi occurred again and he appeared behind Hiashi, the younger man began spinning. "Rotation!"

Knocked away by the technique, Danzou was caught by Chouza's enlarged hand, which then crushed the man.

Anticipating the old traitor's rebirth somewhere near his comrade, Shikaku shot his shadow out in Chouza's general direction. Catching the man as he reappeared, the deer herder grinned. "Shadow Strangle Jutsu, success," he said smugly, then called out, "Shibi! Drain him! Inoichi, get inside his head and deactivate that Izanagi crap, and let Tsume take out his eyes, meaning all of them, and without killing him!"

Chouza frowned slightly. "We're keeping this scum alive? Why?" he asked.

Shikaku frowned. "It's troublesome, but this monster's probably made underhanded deals all over the map, and we've gotta find out everything he's done, so, naturally, we've gotta pump information out of him. We'll let Ibiki and Anko, maybe even Kushina-sama, have some fun with him until that wellspring of information is dried up," he replied, explaining his motives.

Kushina nodded. "Since it seems you're in need of one, does anybody mind it I take the mantle of Hokage for a while? I know enough about the job to be pretty good at it, and I'm fairly certain I'm more qualified than Danzou-teme over there," she suggested.

Izumi smiled. "You won't have to take Danzou for information, but I'm sure Kushina-chan's idea of becoming Hokage for a while has merit," she said, then upon seeing the confused looks of the others, explained, "Kami-sama keeps a list of everything done in a person's life. If I ask nicely enough, She will allow me to take a look at Danzou's list, and we'll get all the information we need."

Soon enough, Danzou's Izanagi had been deactivated, and his eyes were taken out, including his normal one, just in case. Izumi drew a ritual circle on the ground, and the great Shinigami was summoned.

The Shinigami, despite being very terrifying in appearance, seemed happy upon seeing Izumi. "Ah, little Izumi. It's been a long time. Did you bring me the gift Kami-sama promised me?" he asked.

Izumi nodded. "Yes, Shinigami-sama. Danzou's soul is still inside of his body. You should have no trouble fetching it as he is now," she explained, then smiled and said, "I missed you, Uncle."

The God of Death grinned. "I missed you as well, my niece. I have a gift for you, celebrating your second millennium of life, and while I'm late in giving it, I hope you'll use it well," he said, handing the angel a piece of paper that simply said, "I owe you."

Kushina growled slightly and punched the Shinigami in the gut. "Spit up my husband, dammit!" she shouted.

Shinigami grunted slightly at the force of the punch. "I don't keep the souls of the innocent or the virtuous in my stomach, Kushina-san. Your husband, along with the rest of the Hokage who'd recently entered my stomach, have been sent up to heaven. I can't keep a good soul down for the life of me. Not only do I feel like shit emotionally, but good souls are bitter!" he exclaimed, then calmed down and said, "Minato-san wanted me to tell you he loves you and that he hopes you live life well."

Kushina frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding. "Fine. But if you ever even think of ingesting my son..." she said, letting the threat hang in the air.

The Shinigami gulped, well aware that this woman would definitely carry out her threat, whether he was a God or not. "I can't make any promises, sadly, as for all I know, he might use the Reaper Death Seal someday, whether I want him to or not, but if he does, please have mercy!" he exclaimed, then turned to Izumi and said, "I'd stick around a little longer, but I don't want to anger Mama Bear over there anymore, so I think I'll be going..." And with that, the Shinigami disappeared in a whirl of smoke and wind.

Later, when things had calmed down

Naruto sat in the recliner, in the room Hinata and Hanabi had taken for their own in Kurenai's apartment. Hinata had fallen asleep in his arms, and he'd sat there with her, letting her cuddle with him in her sleep. A lot was on his mind, most of it concerning the woman who apparently was his mother, and he smiled at the promise she'd made him. He didn't know how she'd wrap up twelve and three quarters years of mothering into whatever amount of time she intended to dish it out in, but he was happy he had her back. Soon enough, the door opened, and Kurenai gestured to some people outside to enter. Naruto was happy to see his mother and another woman, who he assumed was Hinata's mother, enter the room.

Izumi took the sleeping Hinata out of Naruto's arms gently, cooing at the twelve-year-old as if she were a baby, and walked out of the room, leaving Kushina with Naruto, mother with son. Breaking down in tears, the two embraced, holding each other for as long as they could...

End Chapter Five


	6. Of Reunions and Ramen Dinners

Love's Wings

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to, the marshmallowy fluff that I love so much.

Chapter Six

_Of Reunions and Ramen Dinners_

Begin Chapter

Naruto, still bawling his eyes out, nuzzled against his mother's cheek. "I...I've dreamed of meeting you...for so long-ttebayo..." he mumbled as he continued holding his mother.

Kushina nodded. "I missed holding you-ttebane! Now look at you, too big for me to carry in my arms without getting funny looks from people," she replied, not caring that she was crying at all.

Naruto laughed a little. "I don't care if we get funny looks. You can carry me around if you want to," the blond chuckled, then asked, "Did I get my ramen cravings from you or Dad? I've always wondered."

Kushina giggled. "Definitely me. Minato-kun didn't hate ramen, but he certainly couldn't eat as much of it as I could!" she answered proudly.

Sniffling a bit, Naruto attempted to dry his happy tears. "I have to introduce you to all my friends. I just wish Jii-san was still here. I'm sure he'd be happy for us."

The red-haired tomboy nodded. "I can't wait to meet them!" she replied excitedly, then pulled her face back and said, "Now let me get a good look at your adorable face! I haven't seen it in so long..."

Looking happily at her son, Kushina giggled. "Those whisker marks are still as adorable as when you were born, I see! And those blue eyes...Oh, your father's beautiful blue eyes! And I bet you've never been able to get that hair of yours to stay flat!" she teased, ruffling Naruto's hair.

Naruto smiled softly. "So, who was Dad? I haven't been told who he is before. I know you two love me, and I discovered who you were a while back, but who's Dad?" he asked curiously.

Kushina grinned. "Your father was an amazing man, and I'm going to tell you everything about him I know..."

A few minutes earlier, with Hinata and Izumi...

Hinata, still unconscious, snuggled into her mother's grip, somehow knowing that she was in the arms of somebody she loved.

"Oh, my baby Hinata...You've grown so big!" the angel cooed softly, then turned to the couch against the wall on the other side of the room and announced, "You can come out, Hanabi-chan. I'm not going to bite."

A tiny squeak was heard the instant she said that, and Hanabi came out from behind the couch, looking much like she was expecting to be scolded.

Izumi sighed. "Don't be like that, Hanabi-chan. I'm not going to be mad at you for what my husband and your mother did. Besides, if Hiashi-kun hadn't had you, things would have gotten very bad for him and Hinata-chan."

Hanabi frowned. "But I'm living proof that your husband was unfaithful to you...I don't understand why you don't hate me," she replied softly.

"Now listen here. You may very well be just that, but you're also a sweet little girl who loves her family very much, a skilled fighter whose reason for trying so hard is very noble, and a part of my husband, who I still love very much! You're being far too hard on yourself right now, and the fact of the matter is that Hiashi-kun and Hinata-chan love you very much, and I do, too," the elder blunette in the room scolded, then softened her expression and said, "Now come here and give your step mother a hug, Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi nodded, sniffling a little, and as soon as Izumi placed Hinata on a nearby love seat, the two of them hugged, with Izumi rubbing the back of Hanabi's head as the small girl let her tears out.

"Hinata-neechan said...you'd love me...I really don't know why I didn't believe her..." Hanabi whimpered softly.

Izumi smiled as she continued hugging Hanabi. "You should trust her judgment more. Hinata-chan is a very good judge of a person's character, you know," she replied warmly.

"M-Mommy?" a voice mumbled from the love seat sleepily. Hinata, still half-asleep, gazed at Izumi and Hanabi as they hugged, and asked, "That's really you, r-right?"

The older angel grinned, and came over to Hinata with Hanabi in tow, then wrapped them both in a hug. "Yes, it's me Hinata-chan. I missed you so much!" she said happily, nuzzling her face in Hinata's hair.

Hinata giggled. "I'm so happy it wasn't a dream this time, Mommy!" she exclaimed.

Izumi laughed. "I'm glad it wasn't, too!" she replied with a grin. The moment was interrupted by a surprised shout coming from Hinata and Hanabi's room, and Izumi guffawed, "That must have been Naruto finding out who his father was! Oh, jeez, I wish we had been there to see his face!"

Hinata and Hanabi both looked at Izumi curiously. "Who was his father, Mother?" Hinata asked.

Izumi grinned. "He was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. I was one of the lucky few who were invited to his and Kushina's secret wedding. It was such a happy day when those two got married! It's really too bad he's no longer with us. Naruto-chan would have just loved him!" she answered.

Hinata gasped. "That means Naruto-kun is practically royalty! But wait, that means..." she exclaimed, then slumped her shoulders and continued, "he's going to get a bunch of fangirls when the news gets out...Poor Naruto-kun..."

"Do what Kushina-chan did, then! Chase them off with a stick!" she laughed.

Hinata sighed. "I just might have to, with how ravenous Sasuke-san's are."

Hanabi grinned. "Well, it's not like you have to worry about Naruto falling for any of them! Even he isn't dumb enough to fall for somebody so shallow!" she commented.

Izumi nodded in agreement. "Now, why don't I go get Hiashi-kun? Kushina-chan was planning for us all to head over to Ichiraku's later to celebrate being together again!" she suggested, obviously looking forward to spending time with her friends and family again after so long.

Hinata and Hanabi nodded. "All right. We'll wait here," the elder of the two girls commented, then added, "Hanabi-chan needs her hair brushed after being behind that couch anyway."

Izumi nodded. "Okay, then. I'll leave you to it," she replied, heading out.

Kurenai, who had been watching from the other room, decided to make herself a part of this. "I'll go get the brush, Hinata. You two just take it easy for now," she said.

Hanabi smiled, and started tearing up a little as soon as Kurenai left the room. "I'm so happy...She really does love me..." she mumbled, sitting down in Hinata's lap and snuggling.

The blunette wrapped her arms around her sister and kissed the top of her head. "I told you she would, didn't I?" she giggled.

Hanabi nodded. "You certainly did, Onee-chan," she replied. Kurenai was quick to return with the brush, and she sat down next to the sisters, simply enjoying being near them for the time being.

Meanwhile, with Naruto and Kushina

It took a while, but Naruto had finally stopped crying. It had hurt a lot, knowing that his own father had been the one to place the burden of Kyuubi upon him, and he cried in silence for a while, but his mother stayed with him through the whole thing, and it didn't look like she was leaving anytime soon.

Kushina cooed Naruto, calming him down further. "It's okay, Naruto-chan. Mama's here, and she's not going anywhere," she said softly, then asked, "Are you feeling all right enough for me to explain Minato-kun's reasoning?"

Naruto nodded, sniffling a little. "I guess..." he mumbled.

Kushina nodded. "Now, the fact is, there was a man that appeared that night, who took control of Kyuubi. We don't know who he was, since he was wearing a mask, but he has at least one Sharingan eye, and he has the ability to teleport. Minato-kun might know more, but he's...yeah..." she explained, then continued, "Now, one thing you need to know is that I was Kyuubi's jinchuuriki before you were, and Mito Uzumaki-Senju was its jinchuuriki before me."

Naruto was shocked, and it showed. "Y-you were a jinchuuriki, too, Mom? I never heard about there being jinchuuriki in the village before me!" he exclaimed.

Kushina frowned. "Our existences were kept secret, but from what Izumi-neechan told me, Danzou-teme let the secret about you being a jinchuuriki slip so that you'd suffer, that jerk-ttebane! Anyway, the seal that holds a bijuu inside of a jinchuuriki weakens at certain points, and the point where it weakens most is when a female jinchuuriki gives birth. Naturally, Kyuubi wanted out, not that I could really blame him, and Minato was busy throughout most of the ordeal keeping it from escaping," she explained, then smiled wistfully. "Childbirth was tough, but it was definitely worth getting to hold you after you got out-ttebane! You were just the cutest baby! Heck, you're still adorable!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "C'mon, Mom, you're embarrassing me-ttebayo!" he exclaimed, then asked, "So, what happened?"

Kushina frowned, getting serious again. "It was only a couple minutes after you were born. Biwako-baachan and Taji-chan were cleaning you off, since babies are so messy right after they come out, and Minato was about to reapply the seal, when that man appeared out of nowhere. He killed Biwako and Taji, and threatened to kill you if Minato-kun didn't hand me over," the redhead explained.

Naruto scrunched his face in concentration. "Who are Biwako and Taji?" he asked, then shook his head and said, "Never mind that, what did Dad do? He didn't just take this sitting down, did he?"

Kushin shook her head. "Minato-kun tried to reason with the man, but he was about to kill you, and Minato was forced to use Hiraishin to teleport you someplace safe, leaving me behind, which is exactly what the masked man wanted. He extracted Kyuubi from me and quickly took control of him. I survived the extraction due to my Uzumaki vitality, but the masked man was about to kill me. Minato-kun managed to get to me in time, and he brought me to the safe house where he took you," she explained, then teared up a little, and said, "I was so scared-ttebane! So much was happening, and I didn't know if we were going to survive or not! I just..."

Naruto could see that his mother was upset, and he quickly wrapped her in a hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Mom. It must have been scary, and things might not have gone the way we wanted, but things will get better, okay?" he said, trying to comfort his distraught mother.

Kushina nodded, and cried for a little longer, just holding onto Naruto until, finally, she stopped and was just sniffling. "Sorry you had to see that-ttebane," she said softly, her voice a little shaky.

Naruto grinned. "It's all right. I'm just glad I can be here for you-ttebayo!" he replied happily.

Gathering her courage again, Kushina continued with her tale. "I just held onto you for the longest time, hearing explosions outside. You cried for a bit, but I managed to get a toy your father had bought for you a few months back, and you calmed down. Other than that, and right when you were born, you didn't ever cry. Considering what was going on, I have to say you were a very brave baby-ttebane. Eventually, Minato-kun came back, and he brought Kyuubi with him, intending to seal it again. I wanted him to seal it back in me, but if I died, which is what we thought was going to happen, it would have been a temporary fix, and Kyuubi would reappear again a decade or so later. I still thought that would be a better solution than what he thought up, which was to seal half of Kyuubi into you, and for him to take the other half of it with him into the Shinigami's stomach."

Naruto nodded, then frowned. "I...I have to ask. There were other kids born that night, so why did Dad choose me to hold Kyuubi? Why didn't he choose somebody who'd have a family to look after them?"

Kushina frowned. "There were a lot of factors, your being our son definitely being one of the more prominent ones. The elder toad sage had a vision, which I'm sure Jiraiya will tell you about at some point, of a hero who would save the world from devastation. Minato-kun believed that that masked man was the one who'd bring about that devastation, and seeing as neither of us thought we'd survive the night, he believed you'd be the hero of prophecy, who'd bring peace to the world. Plus, now that I think about it, my idea might not have been so good, since the masked man apparently got away. Kyuubi would have just come back later, and I get the feeling he'd have come back, too, to control it in another attack on Konoha, and, if things went downhill, well...I get the feeling it's better to have had you live through your life as it has been than for the whole world to be destroyed, no matter how much I wish you hadn't suffered-ttebane. But the main reason, he said, was..." with this, Kushina grinned, and continued, "he wanted to believe in you, Naruto-chan.

"It might have been a mistake for Minato-kun to have done that, and it was probably a big mistake for Sarutobi-jiisan to not elaborate on what a jinchuuriki was to the populace when information about you being one was leaked, and I'm pretty sure Jiraiya could have done a better job of being your godfather than he did, but let's face it, the three of them, like the rest of us, are human, and we're going to make mistakes. It doesn't mean Jiraiya won't get a pounding when I next see him, but I'll have to forgive him at some point, ne?"

Naruto nodded. "I...I guess you're right. People make mistakes. I'm probably going to punch Dad in the gut at least once when I see him again in the afterlife, but I'll forgive him. After all, you guys really loved me, and that makes me happy," the blond replied with a smile.

Kushina giggled, ruffling Naruto's hair. "That's my little world savior-ttebane!" she exclaimed, then made an O with her mouth and said, "That's right! Minato-kun and I left some of our chakra in you to help you later on in life! I'm going to leave my chakra there just in case, of course, but either way, you'll definitely get to meet your father at some point! I guess you won't have to wait till you're dead to give him that jab to the gut!"

The two of them got a much-needed laugh out of that. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Kushina-chan! We're all going out to Ichiraku's now. You're still coming, right?" Izumi's voice called from the other side of the door.

Kushina suddenly got a hungry look on her face. "RAMEN TIME!" she exclaimed happily, then dragged her son out the door, stopping halfway to her favorite ramen store to wait for the others.

A few minutes later, at Ichiraku Ramen

Naruto lifted the curtain for his mother, and a shadow clone placed Hinata on one of the stools. "Hey, Jiichan! I hope you're not busy, cuz' I'm here, and I brought friends!" he exclaimed.

Teuchi, whose back was turned at the moment, grinned. "Good to hear! A friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine any day!" he exclaimed, then turned around only for his jaw to drop, though he managed to keep the bowls of ramen he had in his hands from following, if just barely. "K-Kushina? Is that really you?" he asked, bewildered.

Kushina smiled warmly. "Hey, Teuchi! I'm back-ttebane!" she greeted happily.

Teuchi stood there for a moment, gaping like a fish, before Ayame picked up his proverbial jaw. "Dad, stop staring at her! I know she's pretty, but you're going to freak her out if you keep gawking like that!" she scolded.

Teuchi put the bowls of ramen down in front of Naruto, who quickly took advantage of it, and pinched himself, then, when that didn't get rid of what he thought was a dream, slapped himself a couple of times for good measure. "Good Kami above, it really is you, Kushina!" he exclaimed once he was sure he wasn't dreaming. "Ayame, clean the spare bowls! Ichiraku Ramen's first favorite customer has risen from the dead, and she's probably hungry!" he shouted joyously.

Kushina grinned, sitting down on the seat next to Naruto, who was seated with Hinata. Hiashi sat down with Izumi, ignoring the stares in his direction from people who were shocked to see the Hyuuga Clan Head at such a lowly ramen stand. Izumi sat between Hiashi and Hinata, placing Hanabi in her lap. They all ordered, and, soon enough, their food was served.

Eventually, Teuchi leaned over the bar and asked, "Where have you been all this time, Kushina? I'm pretty certain I'm not the only one who missed you."

Kushina stopped eating for a moment to reply. "I was held captive by Danzou-teme. The only reason I didn't just bust myself out was because they were keeping me comatose. I gotta wonder, though. You knew that Naruto-chan was my son. Why didn't you tell him about me?" she asked, getting right to the point.

Teuchi sighed. "I would have if it was safe, believe me. The fact is, even if the people of the village knew who his father was, a lot of them would have still hated him for being the jinchuuriki of Kyuubi. Add that to the fact that said people might be listening in on my conversations with Naruto from time to time, and that they'd gladly sell that information to Iwa, and you have the one and only reason for my silence. He's a good kid, and I didn't want him to die young, you know?" the old ramen chef explained, then turned to face the kitchen and shouted, "Ayame! Come here! I want you to meet somebody!"

Shortly after, Ayame came out from the back. "Who is it, Dad?" she asked.

Now it was Kushina's turn to imitate a fish. "A-Ayame? Little Ayame? You're so big now!" she exclaimed.

Ayame was confused. "Have I met you before, Miss? You seem familiar somehow," she said.

Teuchi grinned. "Ayame, this is Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mom, and an old friend of mine! I thought she was dead all this time, but apparently that's not so! You met her once, when you were very little. That might be why you don't remember her," he explained.

Ayame looked angry. "Wait, you knew who Naruto's mother was? And you never told him?" she asked threateningly, pulling out her weapon of choice, a ladle, from Kami knows where, then demanded, "Explain! Now!"

Kushina cut in, a bit of ramen still in her mouth. "His dad was Minato Namikaze, and Iwa exists and has spies and the capacity to send assassins. There's you're explanation," she answered, somewhat bitter.

Ayame looked embarrassed at this revelation. "Oh...I guess that's a pretty good reason," she replied.

Teuchi nodded. "I don't know how Izumi here is alive, though. I mean, there was a body at the funeral and everything, so it's not like she could have been comatose," he commented.

Izumi smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm an angel, and the members of our kind who live their lives on Earth have to return to heaven to 'recharge' our celestial energies for about a decade every few thousand years, and nine-and-a-half years ago happened to be when I had to go back most recently. Kami-sama allowed me to use a dummy body, since the Hyuuga elders weren't letting me leave, and I faked my death. Hiashi-kun knew I was coming back, though," she explained.

Hiashi frowned. "The Hyuuga Compound lost a lot of its brightness that day. It wasn't easy waiting for you to return, my wife," the clan head said solemnly, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Hinata smiled. "We're all glad you're back, Mother," she said softly, reaching her hand out to her fellow blunette.

Izumi giggled, taking Hinata's hand into her own. "I'm glad to be back, trust me," she replied.

Hanabi giggled. "I guess we're a happy family again now!" she exclaimed, bouncing a little in Izumi's lap.

Naruto grinned. "Hey, Mom! Why don't you tell us how you and Dad fell in love?" he asked happily.

Kushina blushed. "Hey, that's embarrassing to talk about in public-ttebane!" she exclaimed.

Izumi smiled. "Don't be like that, Kushina-chan. How about I tell the story of how I fell for Hiashi-kun, too, to make it easier on you? How does that sound?" the elder angel suggested.

Kushina groaned. "Fine, but you go first!"

Izumi nodded. "Now, first off, you guys have to realize, I'm very old. Ancient, in fact. I'd been searching for a husband for a very long time by the time I met Hiashi-kun. It's actually very funny how we met. Hiashi was searching for water to fill his team's canteens with, and-"

"Please don't tell them this part," Hiashi interrupted, blushing heavily.

Izumi giggled. "Oh, come on, I think they can handle it," she replied, then continued, "Anyway, I'd been bathing, and had just let my wings out of my back to wash them when he stumbled upon me. He passed out pretty quickly, because even though the wings were probably a shock, he _had_ just seen me, who he often calls beautiful, naked. I was extremely embarrassed, and quickly dressed, then waited for him to wake up. I had to use some smelling salts, but he eventually got up, stared at me, and asked if I was an angel.

"I hadn't realized it at the time, but he had thought he'd been hallucinating, so I told him that yes, I was an angel, and I begged him not to tell a soul. He promised me right then and there that he wouldn't tell anybody. I knew he wasn't lying, but part of me was curious to see if he would keep his word. He had been returning from a mission with his team, so I followed him home."

Hiashi sighed. "She scared me half to death when I found out she had. I just walked into my room that night, and there she was. If I were as old then as I am now, I would have likely had a heart attack," he explained, then asked, "Mind if I tell the rest of the story, dear?" Izumi nodded, and Hiashi kept going. "One of the elders spotted us together in my room with his Byakugan, and assumed too much. I told the elder I intended to court her, to keep her from getting in trouble. It was a bold-faced lie back then, and I get the feeling the elders knew that too, but something made me want to protect her from whatever punishment the elders would have given her otherwise.

"For a while, we pretended to date, the both of us believing that the elders would eventually decide she wasn't worthy and they'd tell her to leave. Soon enough, though, we started enjoying these dates, and she was pretty impressed that I had yet to tell anybody about her being an angel, despite the fact that she'd come close to letting the secret out herself a few times.

"Eventually, the elders decided that they didn't want me to marry her, but we'd already made our decision, and I had gotten married to her at a shrine a week before. The looks on their faces were priceless, and I sincerely wish Kushina had been there with a camera," the Hyuuga patriarch said with a bit of a smirk.

Kushina groaned. "I wish I'd been there, period! Seeing their reactions would have been awesome-ttebane!" she exclaimed.

Izumi giggled. "Now it's your turn, Kushina-chan. Tell Naruto how you and Minato met! I can't wait to hear this again!" she said excitedly.

The red-haired former jinchuuriki sighed. "Fine, fine. Well, I had just moved here from Uzushiogakure, and I decided I wanted to be a kunoichi. I joined the academy, and that's where I met him. He seemed really wimpy, so I didn't pay much attention to him. I did, however, pay special attention to all the morons who made fun of my red hair," she explained.

Naruto seemed confused. "Why would they make fun of your red hair? I think it's beautiful!" he exclaimed.

Kushina shrugged. "Looking back, I was probably just made fun of because I was a foreigner, and the first thing people noticed about me was my red hair, so they decided to make fun of that. But more about my hair later. Anyway, during the class introduction, I told everybody that I dreamed to be the first female Hokage. Hehe, at this point, I sorta am the first female Hokage. Anyway, a lot of people laughed at that, but Minato-kun, he simply stood up and said how it's a good dream to have, and that he wanted to be Hokage too someday. So, after a few years had passed, information about me being here must have gotten out, along with my special ability to use chakra chains, and Kumo sent some shinobi to kidnap me."

Hinata gasped. "You were kidnapped by Kumo?" she asked.

Kushina nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Hinata frowned. "They tried to kidnap me, when I was three..." she mumbled.

Kushina's eye twitched. "I'm interim Hokage at the moment. Can I go declare war on Kumo?" she asked, sounding serious despite how crazy the idea was.

"No!" everybody shouted at once.

Kushina groaned. "Fine. Anyway, while they were leading me to the border, I had been pulling out bits of my hair to leave a trail. Things were looking grim, though, because we were almost there. But then, Minato-kun appeared, and kicked those Kumo nins' butts-ttebane!" she exclaimed, making a fist and punching the air. "I'd hated my red hair for the longest time, but he said it was beautiful, and that it brought him to me. It's like my red hair was our red thread of fate. I knew, as he carried me back to Konoha, that he was the man I was going to love for the rest of my life," she said softly, gaining a far-off look in her eyes.

Naruto smiled. "That was awesome-ttebayo!" he exclaimed.

Kushina turned to him and grinned. "I know, right? And just a moment ago, you complimented my hair, too, so, just like with Minato-kun, I'm going to tell you how much I-" she poked Naruto's stomach "-love-" then his nose "-you!" and with that, she poked his jacket at the spot that covered his heart, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Naruto laughed a little. "C'mon, Mom! You're embarrassing me!" he exclaimed.

Kushina put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly. "That's part of my duty as your mother!"

Everybody had a good laugh, and continued eating for a while, not a care in the world...

End Chapter Six


	7. Family Time, and a Message from the Past

Love's Wings

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to...Do you guys even read these? Lemme know, dagnabbit! I wanna know if my weird humor is appreciated!

Chapter Seven

_Family Time, and a Message from the Past_

A day later

Naruto rose from his recliner in Hinata and Hanabi's room, where he had stayed the night. Looking at the bed that held Hinata and Hanabi, he smiled, feeling happy for the sisters. They got their mother back, and everything was great. Of course, he also got his mother back, a thought which made him grin.

Getting up, he grabbed a clean set of clothes from a box in the room before he left to go shower. When he shut the door, he accidentally woke Hinata, who smiled as well. Nudging her sister, she said, "Time to get up, Hanabi-chan!"

Hanabi yawned loudly, stretching her limbs haphazardly and nearly falling off the bed because of said action. Looking around the room, she asked, "What happened to Naruto-niichan?"

Hinata giggled. "I think he went to take a shower. I was nearly awake when he first got up, it just took the door closing to really rouse me. He grabbed some clothes, so I have to assume he's taking a shower," the blunette answered.

Hanabi frowned. "I hope you don't peek at him with your Byakugan," she muttered under her breath.

Hinata blushed like crazy. "O-of course not! If he w-wanted me to see him naked, he would have a-asked me to get in the b-bath with him, like before!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Hanabi frowned even deeper. "I really don't approve of you two being that intimate with each other. It makes me worry. I know he's a good guy, but I really don't think you two are ready for something like that," she stated, then added, "You can't blame me for worrying. You're really special to me, Neechan..."

Hinata nodded, wrapping her arms around the small brunette. "I know," she said softly. "I remember back when you were little, and I decided to be your 'mommy', since my mom had passed away, and yours wasn't trustworthy enough to take care of you. You made me so happy. I remember all the time I spent with you, and I loved every minute of it."

Hanabi sniffled. "You were a great mommy, Neechan. Your kids will be so lucky when you end up having some," she said softly.

A voice from the doorway giggled. "My baby girl really was a great mommy to you, wasn't she, Hanabi-chan? I was so happy to see you two bond like that when I was up in Heaven, and I'm even happier now to see it in person!" Izumi exclaimed, then walked over to the bed and hugged the two girls.

A comfortable silence occupied the room for a moment, until Hinata decided she had to ask her mother a thing or two. "Mom? I have to ask, what kinds of powers will I have when The Change is over?" she asked curiously.

Izumi smiled. "Well, you've already experienced two of them, though you've only actually used one of them. The wings you grow, though ethereal, are not just for show. I'll be teaching you how to fly with them soon enough. The other one, obviously, is your angelic barrier. It should work at all times now, both automatically responding to threats, and appearing when you call upon it willingly. The first day you were going through The Change, it didn't respond to threats once, when that one Hyuuga elder grabbed you up, because you hadn't 'changed' enough yet, but now, as I said, it'll come up whenever you want it to, and whenever an imminent threat is perceived. Very few things can pass through it without resistance, two of them being your pact partner and air, though the air only comes in and doesn't go out, so it can be used for underwater travel for a time. It would take something very powerful, like a Bijuudama, to break through your barrier. If it's broken, it will take a moment to recharge before it can be erected again, so be careful.

"Another power you'll gain is the power to heal yourself and others, either through the use of life chakra, with your blood, or, when you have babies, with your breast milk. Speaking of your breast milk, when you do produce it, it will have some nutrients that aren't in human breast milk, which will be essential for your babies to gain their angelic powers. If you were a male angel, then mating with a human would temporarily give them the ability to produce this milk for their children, so if you have any boys, don't worry about them being unable to pass down their powers," Izumi explained.

Hinata smiled, blushing. "I would d-definitely like to have b-babies with Naruto-kun s-someday," she mumbled happily.

Izumi grinned. "That's good. I'm hoping to get grandkids at some point, and I know for a fact you and Naruto-chan would make some very cute babies," she replied, then added, "And that means you'll get another ability. When you eventually make love with your pact partner, you will gain their abilities and skills. The Hyuuga elders don't know this, obviously, but I can use the Byakugan, and I'm well-versed in Juuken, since your father is so good at it. You, Hinata, would gain the ability to shape-shift like Naruto, and if you ever lose your immortality, you will live a long life thanks to his Uzumaki genes. You'll also gain his enormous chakra reserves, and whatever skills he has at the time, and when he learns new skills, you'll learn them as well. You'll also be able to use Kurama's chakra, but you should really ask him first. He'll feel better about it that way."

Hanabi raised her hand. "Mom? Who's Kurama?" she asked.

Izumi lightly smacked herself in the head. "That's right, you guys only know him as Kyuubi. Well, the fact is, all of the bijuu have a name that was gifted to them by the Sage of the Six Paths. Kyuubi's happens to be Kurama. He'll show you a decent amount of respect, Hinata, since he's got a soft spot for angels, due to befriending several of our kind long ago. The only real reason he hates humans is because they've kept him either controlled or sealed within a jinchuuriki for over a century now. In all honesty, it's not hard to blame him for attacking Minato and Kushina like he did when he discovered he was going to be sealed in Naruto-chan. He only wanted to be free," she explained.

Hinata frowned. "That's...that's actually very sad...The Bijuu are all sealed at this point, and probably have been for a while...They're victims just as much as their jinchuuriki," she contemplated.

Izumi nodded. "I get the feeling that Naruto will bond with Kurama soon enough, though. Just don't tell him Kurama's name. He'll tell Naruto that when he starts to see him as trustworthy, and he might take offense if somebody else tells it to him. Just do me a favor and spend time with him occasionally. The big guy might not admit it, but he gets lonely in the seal sometimes," she explained.

Hinata nodded. "I will, Mom," she replied. Hearing the shower water stopping, they decided to drop the subject. "I'm pretty sure Naruto-kun is going to want to train with Kushina-sama today, so I'd like to be ready and dressed soon. If you two could help me out, that would be great."

Hanabi and Izumi nodded, and the three of them started preparing for the day.

Later, in the Hokage's office

Kushina's shadow clones toiled away, occasionally cursing their creator for leaving them to do the paperwork so that she could spend time with her son. Then again, they couldn't really blame her. If they were the original, they'd have done the same thing. Soon enough, though, a distraction appeared...an old, perverted one.

"Jiraiya, stop hiding out there and come in through the window like you normally do," one of the shadow clones said blandly. Soon enough, the man in question had come through the window, as he'd been asked to.

"Sorry, Kushina. I've just been so nervous about seeing you again, especially here and now, since there are currently five of you..." the toad sage said.

The clones decided that the one that had beckoned Jiraiya in should be the one to talk to him. The clone pointed out a seat for him to sit in, and he did. "Jiraiya, I'm not mad, or at least not as mad as I was when I first learned you weren't looking after Naruto. Knowing you, you were keeping people in Iwa from learning about his heritage with misinformation and the like, and I doubt the council would have allowed the Sandaime to set Naruto up with his apartment. You did a good job, considering how busy you were with your spy network. Don't think the real me isn't going to beat the crap out of you later, though!" she explained, shouting the last sentence angrily.

Jiraiya frowned. "And I'll let her. I deserve it, if what I've heard about the gaki's life is true. Either way, our forces suffered some serious injuries during that invasion. I was thinking I could go look for Tsunade-hime so she could help our medical staff. I'm pretty sure she'd be happy to see you again, too. If you want, I can take Naruto with me, too, so we can get to know each other better, and I can start teaching him the Rasengan or something," he said.

Kushina frowned. "I'd say yes, but the fact is, Naruto can't be away from Hinata at this point, due to what's going on with her body, so I'm going to have to decline," she replied.

Jiraiya grinned. "But he would be here, too! Didn't he tell you about that incredible technique of his, that True Clone Jutsu? It'd be as if he'd never left, and yet, he'll still be with me, learning all kinds of stuff! How does that sound?" the old pervert suggested.

The chakra construct nodded. "Yeah, I guess that could work. Just give me a second to let my original know," she replied. She immediately made another shadow clone, who dispelled, and a few seconds later, she had the original's answer. "You can take one of his true clones, but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that if you corrupt him, I will hurt you."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd have to worry about some Juuken as well if I did that. Don't worry, I won't make a super pervert out of your son!" he said, then added, "I'll meet his clone at the east gate tomorrow at eight in the morning. Today, though, I'm going to help you, Naruto, and Hinata move into your old home. It's probably getting crowded in Kurenai's apartment at this point."

The clone nodded again. "I'll let them know. But for now..." Jiraiya was suddenly kicked in the nads, and the clones all worked together to shove him out the window. "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Needless to say, Jiraiya was feeling sore for a while.

At training ground seven, with Naruto, Hinata, and Kushina

Kushina grinned as she sparred with her son. "Atta boy-ttebane!" she shouted as Naruto dodged some kunai she'd thrown his way.

Naruto smirked, and formed a single hand seal in midair. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, creating a single shadow clone who grabbed him and threw him straight at his mother.

Kushina smiled proudly. She'd be able to dodge such an attack easily, but most enemy shinobi would be startled enough by the technique that they'd get hit, so she let him ram into her, wrapping her arms around her son as she laughed happily. "Good job! I'm so proud of you! However, next time, you should throw your shadow clone, instead of the other way around, especially if you're going up against a shinobi as strong as I am. You know the Akatsuki will be coming after you at some point, so try to think of your safety more."

Naruto nodded, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry you had to come back to such a crisis," he said softly.

Kushina smiled warmly. "I didn't come back to the crisis, honey. I came back to _you!_" she replied, hoping to lift her son's spirits.

Smiling softly, Naruto replied, "Thanks, Mom."

Kushina's smile turned into an all-out grin. "Let's take a break. Hinata must be getting lonely under that tree over there!" she laughed.

Naruto and Kushina quickly got over to the tree at the edge of the field they were sparring in, where Hinata relaxed, just looking up at the sky. Looking over at the two of them, Hinata smiled. "You two are so strong, I hope I can be, too, someday," she said softly.

Naruto grinned. "You already are strong, Hinata-ttebayo!" he replied.

Kushina nodded. "Yup! And that's why I wanna take you on as my apprentice!" she exclaimed, then added, "Though it's also partially because I wanna get to know my future daughter-in-law. Oh, and it's because I like you, too, obviously. You're a very likable person, just like your mom-ttebane!"

Hinata smiled. "Thank you so much, Kushina-sama! But...what will you be teaching me?" she asked, curious.

The redhead grinned widely. "Fuinjutsu, obviously!" she replied, then continued, "I'm a Master-level Fuinjutsu user. And while my taijutsu and ninjutsu have probably weakened due to me having been out of combat for over a decade, fuinjutsu is like riding a bike! You never really forget how to draw the seals and use them!"

Hinata flinched for an instant. Sensing that Kushina had noticed, Hinata decided to explain herself. "I'm sorry...I just don't have a good history with...seals..." she explained.

Kushina nodded. "Right. That bastardized doujutsu-sealing seal that your clan uses would make any witness with a heart sick to their stomach. It was originally an Uzumaki seal, but the elders of your clan hired other fuinjutsu users to modify it after my clan gave it to you. Jerks, the lot of those old farts-ttebane!" she exclaimed, then calmed down and elaborated, "Don't worry, Hina-chan. Seals can be used for more than just inflicting pain on people. They can be used for training, by making your body go against more force than it's used to, or for protecting your allies with barriers! If we manage to get Tsunade back to the village, it's even possible that we could make seals that can help our village's healers, like by turning regular chakra into the healing chakra used in medical ninjutsu through a seal! Trust me, if you become a seal master, you'll be able to help a lot of people in our village, and around the world!"

Hinata smiled. "You're right. I can't wait!" she exclaimed.

Naruto pouted. "Aren't you going to teach me fuinjutsu, Mom?" he asked.

Kushina grinned, patting the blond's head. "Don't worry, Naruto. Jiraiya will teach you fuinjutsu until you get to the more complicated stuff. And if he shirks his teaching duties to peep on women or anything like that, just let me know, and I'll set him straight!" It should be noted that this last sentence was said with a smile that would have scared Naruto horribly if the pain it promised was aimed at him. As it was, he only flinched a little bit when he saw this smile.

"And speaking of that pervert, I'm going to be sending a true clone of yours and him off to find Tsunade tomorrow morning. He's going to be teaching you the Rasengan while you're out there," the former Kyuubi jinchuuriki elaborated.

Naruto tilted his head. "The Rasengan? What's that?" the whiskered boy asked.

Kushina smirked proudly, and held up her hand. "This," she said as a spiraling orb of chakra appeared in her hand, "is a Rasengan!" Suddenly, the redhead leapt at a tree further away, and smashed the sphere of energy against it. A large hole went straight through the tree where the Rasengan had impacted, leaving Naruto and Hinata's jaws on the ground. "It's a technique your father invented, Naru-chan," she said from behind the two of them, where she had leapt after using the technique, sounding somewhat sad.

Naruto frowned, turning to his mother. "You miss him, don't you?"

Kushina nodded. "Every minute of every day, Naru-chan," she answered softly.

Hinata frowned, and wrapped her arms around the woman, gesturing for Naruto to do the same. Kushina gasped, then began crying and held the two children to her as they spoke words of comfort and encouragement. Hinata took a quick look at Naruto, then turned back to the task at hand, thinking to herself, _"I'll make sure Naruto-kun and I don't suffer this kind of thing...We'll always come back to each other!"_

Soon enough, Kushina was done crying, and she stood. "Why don't we get some lunch? We've got work to do soon, to get our stuff moved to my old home, and we can't do that on an empty stomach," she said, smiling brightly despite the tear stains.

Naruto nodded. "That sounds good, Mom. Come on, Hinata-chan!" he said, picking the smaller girl up in his arms as they headed to where they had put her wheelchair.

The three headed off to lunch.

Later, at Kushina's house

Jiraiya smiled wistfully. "It's been a while since I've been here," he said, then turned to Kushina and added, "I've paid to have the exterior of the house taken care of over the years, but the interior can only be accessed by you, me, and Naruto here with the protective seals in place."

Naruto gripped his mother's hand. "Are you ready, Mom?" he asked softly.

Kushina nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be," she said, moving ahead of Naruto and entering the house.

In her wheelchair, Hinata reached back to grip Naruto's hand. "I'll be with you, Naruto-kun. I-if you need e-emotional support, let me k-know," she said softly, smiling up at her crush.

Naruto nodded, gulping a bit. "Thanks, Hinata," he replied.

Entering the house, they first noticed that everything was fairly clean, despite having been left alone for over a decade. Naruto and Hinata wondered how that was possible, until they heard Jiraiya's voice from upstairs say, "Thank Kami Minato adjusted that protection seal to keep dust out of the house when it's activated! Otherwise we'd have to clean a lot more than just whatever food is rotting in the cabinets and fridge!"

Naruto grinned upon hearing this. "My dad really was a genius, wasn't he, Hinata-chan?" he said happily.

Hinata smiled back. "I-I think I prefer p-proud failures like y-you," she replied, tipping her head cutely.

The two of them wandered a little, just looking around. Feeling drawn to a specific room, Naruto headed over to a door, still pushing Hinata. Opening the door, he peered inside, seeing that the room was dark. Once Naruto was a ways into the room, the two of them sensed chakra being used. A small seal glowed on the floor as well as on the wall, and a projector, along with a screen for it to be played on, appeared. Another seal appeared, and the projector suddenly activated, apparently being battery-powered, and on the screen appeared Minato's face.

Naruto gasped. "D-Dad?" he murmured to himself.

The Minato on the screen grinned. "Hey, kiddo! It's me, your dad! Now, before you try to talk to me or something like your mother would probably do, let me tell you right now that this is a prerecorded message. If this is playing, then it means I'm not around anymore, and your mother might not be, either. If your mom is still around, tell her I love her. Either way, it means something didn't go right, and I'm not here to be your father anymore," he said, ending on a solemn note.

"I left instructions for the Sandaime to take care of you, and I was the one who told him not to tell you who I am. I didn't want my enemies coming after you if they found out you were my kid. There are some pretty tough ones out there, let me tell you. I left this message, though, so that I could tell you something important, something that will help you continue on towards the future.

"I love you, my precious son," he said. At this point, Naruto began tearing up, and Jiraiya and Kushina had entered the room. The blond gripped Hinata's hand, and the former heiress squeezed back, letting him know she was there for him. "I love you very much. You're one of the two best things to happen to me in my life, the other being your mother. I want you to remember, whenever things get tough, that your mother and I loved you so much. And we will continue to love you, from wherever we are now, no matter what. Whether it winds up being for a few minutes or a lifetime, I will be very proud to be your father.

"One more thing, Naruto, now listen carefully. The wings of the Thunder God lie where true heroes rest. If your mom's there, she should know what that means. If not, well, you've got talented parents. Surely we gave you enough talent to figure out this riddle!

"Good luck, son. I believe in you!"

And with that, the recording ended.

Kushina fainted, Jiraiya catching her and setting her down against the wall. Naruto stood tall, however, sobbing hard as he listened to the most important words of that message play back again and again in his head.

"_I love you, my precious son. I love you very much."_

Hinata extended her arms out to Naruto, and sensing her do so, he turned around and wrapped his arms around her, sobbing into her jacket. Hinata patted Naruto's back, tears emerging from her eyes as well.

"He loved me, Hinata...he loved me a lot," he whimpered.

The blunette smiled at the boy in her arms. "He did...and he's not the only one," she said softly, running her hand up and down the jinchuuriki's back.

Suddenly, the room was filled with light, as the boards that had apparently been on the windows dropped, allowing light to shine into the room, showing that it was the nursery. Naruto's eyes widened, darting around the room as he took in the different features. There were stuffed animals, big and small and in between, all around the room. A changing table sat against a wall. There was a crib with a mobile that had star decorations hung above it opposite the window.

Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand. "This...this is my room, Hinata...this is where I was supposed to grow up!" he said happily, the tears still coming down his face like crazy.

Hinata smiled. "It's nice...And look, it's colored orange!" she exclaimed softly.

Jiraiya grinned. "They took my idea. The Yellow Flash and the Red Habanero come together to make the Orange Hero," he said nostalgically.

Kushina grinned from her spot against the wall, having regained consciousness in time to hear the Toad Sage's words. "It was most certainly a good idea," she said softly. She then made a few shadow clones and told them, "Let's get to work! This isn't a room for a baby boy anymore! We've gotta get a new bed in, a dresser, and some toys more appropriate for a twelve-year-old! When they ask for the bill, tell them to take it out of the Uzumaki treasury!"

One of the clones raised its hand. "What if the council did something stupid while you were comatose, and liquidated the Uzumaki treasury?" she asked.

Kushina grinned. "Then find some of the councilors, grill them for information, and rob them! If they have a problem with that, tell them they should have kept their hands off Uzumaki property!" she suggested sinisterly.

The clones grinned and rushed out of the house, some secretly hoping that the council _did_ do something like that, just so they could do something incredibly humiliating to them.

Naruto smiled, his tears having finally quit. "I'll help out, too! Come on, Hinata, let's get you settled somewhere where you can watch us run around like chickens with our heads cut off!" he exclaimed.

Hinata frowned. "I thought you were going to be moving furniture," she said.

Naruto chuckled. "It won't look much different, trust me," he replied.

That night, Naruto and Hinata slept in separate beds in what was once the nursery, content with their lives as they were right then...

End Chapter Seven


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